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'recommendations; 



Having had the privilege of perusing, in MS., Mr. Adam's Dis- 
courses on " The Millennium," lam of opinion that they present, in 
an attractive form, a sober, scriptural, and lucid view of the prospects 
of the Church of Christ in our world in the ages to come; and are 
well calculated to elevate the tone of Christian piety, to animate 
prayer, and to give intensity to Christian zeal and effort in promot- 
ing the cause of God and man. 

The Discourses furnish evidence of a sound and clear mind, and 
of well-disciplined and sustained thought ; and will prove a valuable 
addition to the library of every Christian family to which they may 
gain admission. The impressions on the subject of the latter day 
glory are in general altogether too vague upon the public mind, and 
we are too much inclined to look for its introduction rather by miracle 
than in the use of any regularly instituted means. 

The Lectures before us, we believe, place the subject in its true 
light. They have my hearty commendation. 

John Knox. 

New- York, Sept 29, 1835. 



I have looked over the MS. of the Rev. Mr. Adam, containing his 
Discourses on " The Millennium." I am much pleased with the 
train of discussion, and the spirit and manner in which it is con- 
ducted. I fully accord with the recommendation of Dr. Knox, and 
should be pleased to see the Sermons published, and patronized by the 
religious public. 

Thomas De Witt. 

New- York, Oct.Z, 1835. 



&>I have examined the MS. of the Rev. Mr. Adam on " The Millen- 
nium" as carefully as the time allotted to me would permit ; and I do cor- 
dially unite with Dr. Knox and Dr. De Witt in earnestly recommending 
these Discourses to the Christian public. The style is well adapted 
to the subject of discussion : the Discourses are luminous and truly 
scriptural. And as they exhibit a full exposition of a topic of Chris- 
tianity that has been engaging, and does still engage the deep atten- 
tion of every Christian, I feel a confidence that they need only to be 
fully known in order to be extensively patronized. 

W. C. Brownlee. 
New- York, Oct, 9, 1835. 



RECOMMENDATIONS. , 



The Rev. Mr. Adam has been pleased to submit to my inspection, 
the MS. of his Discourses on " The Millennium." I have perused it. 
with as much care as the pressure of other duties would permit, and 
am happy to say that the view taken of the subject has my entire 
approbation. The various topics introduced are discussed lucidly, and 
with no ordinary ability ; and it appears to me that the publication of 
these Discourses will greatly subserve the interests of revealed truth, 
and cannot fail to be acceptable to the religious community. 

J. M'Eluoy. 

New-York, Oct. 15, 1835. 



Having hastily lookdd over the Discourses of the Rev. Mr. Adam 
on " The Millennium," I think they will be useful — and therefor© 
cordially unite in the foregoing recommendations. 

Tuos. M ! Auley. 

Gjuipiner Spring. 



THE 



MILLENNIUM; 



BEING 



A SERIES OF DISCOURSES 



ILLUSTRATIVE OF ITS NATURE, THE MEANS 

BY WHICH IT WILL BE INTRODUCED, 

AND THE TIME OF ITS 

COMMENCEMENT. 



k <f 



ot^t 



BY REV. M, T. ADAM. 



s£ 






NEW-YOtlK: 

ROBERT CARTER, 112 CANAL STREET. 

MDCCCXXXVtI. 



t 



V 



[Entered according to the Act of Congress of the United States of 
America, in the year 1837, by Robert Carter, in the Clerk's 
Office of the Southern District of New- York.] 



i0Ti> 



New-York: 

Printed by Scatcherd & Adams, 

No. 38 Gold Street. 



TO THE 

CHRISTIAN YOUTH 

OP THE 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 

The Author begs the pleasure of dedicating 
the following Discourses as a mark of unfeign- 
ed affection, and of earnest desire that they 
may be eminently instrumental in introducing 
the happy days of which they treat. 



PREFACE. 



In presenting the following Discourses to the Christian 
public, it may not be unnecessary for the writer briefly to 
state the object which he has principally in view by them. 
This object may be stated to be twofold ; to communicate 
correct views of the important subject which is here brought 
under discussion, and to stimulate and encourage the Church 
to make those exertions which are absolutely necessary in 
order to the introduction of the latter day glory. How 
far he has succeeded in the execution of his design he must 
ieave his readers to determine. To the mind which is ac- 
customed to weep over the woes of our worldj the subject 
cannot but appear as sublimely interesting, and worthy of 
far more attention than it has ever yet attained; to it, 
therefore, he would earnestly solieit the attention qf every 
follower of Jesus, and ever well-wisher of man, 

The accurate observer of the present state of the civi- 
lized world cannqt fail to perceive that it is every where 
in a strange state of convulsion. The old established 
system of things is evidently breaking up ; and the human 
mind has obtained an ardour in its. investigations, and a 
fortitude in its efforts, which neither tyranny nor super- 
stition can long resist. If the Church is only faithful in 
the discharge of her duties to the world, this state of mind 
is full of promise with regard to the future. But if she 
neglects these, or brings to their performance onjy a &e- 

a2 



VI PREFACE. 

ble, inconstant, and ill-directed energy, to the mind which is 
under the influence of correct views of theDivine government, 
it will not appear a matter of surprise if she should yet have to 
pass through days of adversity and suffering. Self-interest, 
therefore, as well as a sense of duty, should lead us all to take 
a tenfold deeper interest in supporting the cause of Christ 
than we have ever yet taken. For, never let it be forgot- 
ten, that it is the principles of Christianity alone, embo- 
died into the institutions, breathing in the spirit, and 
moulding the characters of a people, which can exalt them. 
Yes ; if the world is ever to be saved from its ignorance, 
its tyranny, its crimes, and its woes, it is Christianity alone 
which can accomplish this deliverance for it. And in order 
that it may be able to do this, it must be exhibited in its puri- 
ty and power, and be accompanied by the all-pervading influ- 
ence of the Spirit of God. Let me entreat, then, every disci- 
ple of Jesus into whose hands this work may come, to study 
to attain a greater measure of conformity to his will, and to 
have all that he has, as well as all that he is, consecrated 
to his service ; that he may contribute his portion of effort 
and sacrifice necessary to introduce that happy period 
when " all nations shall be blessed in Christ, and all shall 
call him blessed." 

There is one topic, however, in connexion with this sub- 
ject, in reference to which — owing to the great importance 
which is attached to it by some — it may not be unnecessary to 
make a few remarks ; I allude to what is generally called the 
personal reign of Christ upon the earth. This view of the 
Millennium, though as old as the third century, and though it 
has been frequently shown to be without any real foundation 
in Scripture, has been lately introduced to the notice of the 
Christian public by a class of writers on the subject of pro- 
phecy, who are distinguished in no small degree for the ar- 
dour of their feelings, and the air of certitude with which 
they have announced their views or discoveries. The 



PREFACE. Vll 

sum of their views of the Millennium may be briefly stated 
thus. After the destruction of Antichrist the Saviour is to 
make his personal appearance, in great power and glory, in 
Jerusalem, and to raise to life those who have died in the faith 
of the Gospel, who are to continue and reign with him up- 
on the earth, in the possession of the greatest honours and 
the highest delight for a thousand years. The passage on 
which they principally rest for support in this view of the 
subject, is Rev* xx. 4 — 6. " And I saw thrones, and they 
sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them : and I 
saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness 
of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not wor- 
shipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received 
his mark upon their foreheads or in their hands ; and they 
lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the 
rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years 
were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and 
holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection ; on such 
the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests 
of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thou- 
sand years." Respecting this passage we remark, 1. That 
the resurrection here spoken of is a resurrection of souls, 

2. That they who are represented as honoured with it are 
only those " who were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, 
and for the word of God," during the reign of Antichrist. 

3. That if this passage is understood literally, and Christ 
should descend and reign personally on earth, then all his 
people, except those who were thus beheaded for their fidelity 
to his cause, are to be deprived of his presence for a thou- 
sand years ; a supposition which appears to my mind to 
be so contrary to all the anticipations of the believer, and 
the Scriptural representations of the felicity and exercises 
of heaven, that it is only necessary to mention it to lead 
«very reflecting mind to see that this cannot be the mean- 
ing of the passage. The mistake on this subject, into which 



Vlll PREFACE. 

the writers to whom we here refer have fallen, seems to 
have arisen from the want of due attention to the descrip- 
tion which John here gives of this resurrection, when he 
says, " I saw the souls of them that were beheaded." This, 
on the supposition that their bodies were raised, appears to 
me to be altogether inexplicable language ; and that we are 
to understand it literally, as we are in our present state desti- 
tute of all power or sense by which we can perceive a soul, 
seems to me to be wholly incredible. The phraseology, 
it must be admitted, is peculiar ; but in attending to the 
description which is given of John the Baptist, we shall 
obtain, I apprehend, the principle by which we shall be led 
to a right understanding of it. 

By the prophet Malachi, ch. iv. 5, the forerunner of 
Christ was described as Elijah. " Behold," says God, " I 
will send you Elijah the prophet." In Matt. xi. 14, the 
Saviour expressly tells us that the person here referred to 
was John the Baptist. But John, we know, was the son 
of Zacharias and Elizabeth. What, then, can be the mean- 
ing of the language that he was Elijah ? Not, certainly, 
that he was the same identical person ; but merely that 
he possessed the high intellectual and spiritual excellencies, 
and the heroic devotedness in the service of his Lord and 
Master, for which that prophet was so eminently distinguish- 
ed. When John, then, says that during the Millennium he 
u saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the testimony 
of Jesus, &c." he means this, we apprehend, to be understood 
merely as a description of the character of the believers 
who shall live during that age ; and intends to intimate 
to us, that as the martyrs were distinguished for eminent 
piety, and had their hearts, and lives, and all, devoted to 
the service of the Redeemer, so then his followers will be 
all equally devoted to him. There will be no half-hearted 
nor worldly-minded Christians in that period ; but, like the 
martyrs, the cause of Christ will be every thing to them. 



PREFACE. IX 

And as to its being said that they shall reign with Christ 
during that happy period, it means, I apprehend, nothing 
more than what Daniel had said long before, when referring 
to the same state of things, ch. vii. 27. " And the king- 
dom, and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom un- 
der the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the 
saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting 
kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him." 
The kingdom of Christ is entirely spiritual ; and during 
the Millennium it is to extend over the people of all lands ; 
and to intimate to us that his people will no longer be an 
oppressed and degraded people, they are here represented 
as presiding over the administration even of the civil af- 
fairs of their respective countries. And this is all, so far as we 
have been able to discover from the sacred Scriptures, that 
is intended by the martyrs' reigning with Christ during the 
Millennium. 

In addition to what has been stated with the view of elu- 
cidating the above passage, it may be remarked that the 
Scriptures speak only of two comings of Christ. The first 
took place at his incarnation ; the second is that which is 
referred to in Heb. ix. 28, 1 Thes. iv. 15 — 17, John v. 
28, 29, Matt. xxv. 31—, 2 Thes. i. 7—10, and other pas- 
sages. This coming of Christ is evidently to take place 
at the close of the present system of things, when all that 
are in their graves shall hear his voice and come forth to 
judgment ; after which the heavens shall pass away with a 
great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat ; the 
earth also, and the works that are therein, shall be burnt up." 
2 Pet. iii. 10. The resurrection of all the dead, and the 
final judgment, are represented as taking place immediate- 
ly on this advent of Christ ; a circumstance which furnish- 
es strong corroborative evidence of the accuracy of the 
views which we have here given on this subject. But 
whilst we would thus endeavour to turn away the faith and 



X PREFACE. 

hope of the Church from all expectation of any advent of 
Christ till he comes to judgment, let all the disciples of 
Christ fix them firmly on that sure word of prophecy which 
we possess, with regard to those times of refreshing from the 
presence of the Lord, which will revive pure and undefined in 
every heart, and make Zion to break forth on the right hand 
and on the left, till the whole world shall redound with the Re- 
deemer's praise. And in place of trusting to the splendours 
of his personal appearance to accomplish the conversion of 
the world, let us be found faithful, in obedience to his own 
command, in the use of the appointed means to put the 
world in possession of the Gospel ; for thus, and thus only, 
can we reasonably expect the latter day glory to be intro. 
duced. 

New- York, Oct 9th, 1835. 



INDEX. 



PAGE. 

Dedication to the Christian youth of America. ... 3 
Preface. 5 

DISCOURSE I. 

The distinguishing features of the Kingdom of Christ. John 
xviii. 36. 1 

DISCOURSE II. 
The universal diffusion of the Gospel. Is. xi. 9. ... 16 

DISCOURSE III. 
Eminent holiness of Christians during the Millennium. Is. lx. 
21 36 

DISCOURSE IV. 

Union of the Church during the Millennium. Jer. xxxii. 39. . 53 

DISCOURSE V. 
Universal peace during the Millennium. Is. ii. 4. 75 

DISCOURSE VI. 
General happiness of mankind during the Millennium. Is. lxv. 
18, 19 95 

DISCOURSE VII. 

Preaching the Gospel, the instrumental means by which it is to 
be introduced. Mark xvi. 15 .117 

DISCOURSE VIII. 
Judgments which are to be poured out on the kingdoms of this 
world, as introductory to the Millennium. Heb. xii. 26, 27. . 136 



Xll INDEX. 

PAGE. 

DISCOURSE IX. 

An abundant and universal effusion of the Holy Spirit, is to pre- 
cede and introduce it. Joel ii. 28. . . . . . . 153 

DISCOURSE X. 
On the downfall of Antichrist. Rev. xviii. 21. . . . 171 

DISCOURSE XL 
On the calling of the Jews. Rom. xi. 25, 26. .... 190 

DISCOURSE XII. 

On the time of the commencement, and the duration of the Mil- 
nium. Rev. xx. 1 — 3. . . 208 



DISCOURSES. 



DISCOURSE I. 

THE DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE KINGDOM 

OF CHRIST. 

John xviii. 36. My kingdom is not of this world. 

Correct views of the nature, constitution, and de- 
sign of the Church, are of immense importance for se- 
curing the purity and promoting the prosperity of re- 
ligion. Hence the subject, though by many greatly neg- 
lected, is justly entitled to serious consideration from 
every professed disciple of Jesus. For, just in propor- 
tion as our views harmonize with those of the Re- 
deemer concerning it, so are we likely to enjoy his 
presence in the ordinances of the Gospel, and to be 
honoured by him to extend the reign of righteousness 
and truth in the earth. And as no genuine follower 
of Christ, nor friend to man, can be indifferent about 
this, particularly in these days of Christian enterprize, 
so no one, who directs his mind properly to the sub- 
ject, can fail to see that all our efforts to the attainment 

1 



A DISTINGUISHING FEATURES 

of this object, if we would have them formed so as to 
reach it, must be founded on correct views of the king- 
dom of Christ. 

In referring to the Old Testament representations 
of the Messiah, we find many allusions to him as a 
King — an important branch of his official character, 
which was greatly misunderstood by many of his 
friends, and greatly perverted by his enemies, as we 
find it was on the occasion on which he made the 
declaration of the text. For, with the view of the 
more effectually securing his condemnation, it was 
made the ground of a special accusation against him ; 
as if, in the exercise of his kingly authority, he meant 
to rescue his country from the dominion of the Ro- 
mans, and raise an opposing and victorious power 
against their conquests. But, with all the frankness 
of a mind that is a stranger to dissimulation, he re- 
plied to the interrogatories of his judge, " Thou say- 
est that I am a King. To this end was I born, and 
for this cause came I into the world, that I should 
bear witness unto the truth ; every one that is of the 
truth heareth my voice." Thus plainly admitting the 
truth of the accusation, though in a very different 
sense from that intended by his accusers. For they 
thought and insinuated that he was an ambitious im- 
postor, desirous of raising himself to earthly distinc- 
tion amongst his fellow-countrymen and the surround- 
ing nations ; but far different was the honour that he 
sought, and the distinction to which he laid claim. 
No worldly ambition agitated his bosom : no scheme 
of fading greatness entered into his designs ; for the 
kingdom, of which he was, and still is, and ever will 
be, the head, " is not of this world." 



of Christ's kingdom. 



As it is our intention to deliver a series of discourses 
to you on the subject of the Millennium, or the uni- 
versal diffusion and triumphant influence of the Gos- 
pel over the whole world, before proceeding to this, 
we have thought that it may serve an important pur- 
pose, as an introduction to it, to point out the distin- 
guishing features of the kingdom of Christ. By the 
phrase, the kingdom of Christ, we mean the New Tes- 
tament Church. For, though in one sense his empire 
is co-extensive with the universe, yet the sphere of the 
operations of his grace is limited to the Church, which, 
as distinguished from his Providential, is on this ac- 
count denominated his Mediatorial kingdom : and it is 
to this that he referred when he said, " My kingdom is 
not of this world." Our object in directing your attention 
to these words on the present occasion, will be to point 
out wherein this kingdom differs from the kingdoms 
of this world. And here we remark that it is different, 

1. In its designs. The objects which the Church is 
designed to attain and promote are exceedingly grand 
and important, being nothing less than the glory of God 
and the salvation of man ; and, separate or apart from 
her, we know not how these can be secured in this 
lower world. For though all nature around us, and 
the heavens above us, declare or manifest the glory of 
God, yet they do' this passively, and only imperfectly 
— for the full name or character of God cannot be 
manifested in the material universe, God is a spirit ; 
and it is in spiritual beings and spiritual excellence 
alone that his glory can be fully displayed. Now, as 
the Church, in her genuine members, consists only of 
the excellent of the earth — those who have been re- 
deemed by the blood of Christ, as of a lamb without 



4 DISTINGUISHING FEATURES 

blemish and without spot — and who have been re- 
newed in the spirit of their mind, so that Jhey bear 
the image of the heavenly, as well as the image of the 
earthly, in the spiritual excellence with which they 
are adorned, they reflect the Character of God far 
more than all the splendour of the sun, or the glory 
of a nocturnal sky. The service, too, which this 
spiritual excellence enables -them to render to him, con- 
stitutes an active display of his glory before the rest of 
mankind ; for every thing they do, they do it that God 
may be glorified ; so that they appear here as " a cho- 
sen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a 
peculiar people, that they should show forth the praises 
of him who hath called them out of darkness into his 
marvellous light." 

And as it regards the salvation of men, separate or 
apart from her, we know of no way by which it can 
be secured. For it is by her alone that the means 
of salvation are possessed ; hence she may be called 
the light of the world — a city set on a hill — and 
from her the word of salvation is to sound forth even 
to the ends of the earth. But such objects as these 
fall not within the range of the designs of the king- 
doms of this world. The glory of God is not made 
the first— seldom even a prominent object — and is ge- 
nerally not designed at all by them. The lives and the 
property of men, and self-aggrandizement or ambition 
are, generally speaking, the only objects which they 
regard. And it must be confessed that the only ap- 
propriate sphere of worldly kingdoms is to regulate 
the intercourse between man and man in worldly af- 
fairs, and to leave spiritual matters to be regulated en- 
tirely by the word of God ; and whenever the State 



of Christ's kingdom. 5 

steps out of this sphere, and interferes in these mat- 
ters, it is always out of its place, and trampling upon 
the authority and office of Him who is King of kings 
and Lord of lords, and the only Lawgiver in Zion. 
Thus, in their designs, the kingdom of Christ and the 
kingdoms of this world are very different. 

It is different, 

2. In its laws and sanctions. It is a principle which 
scarcely admits of debate, that all the laws which are 
of force in the kingdom of Christ come from himself, 
and extend to the heart as well as to the outward con- 
duct. Hence his subjects, when true to their princi- 
ples, and animated with his spirit, have ever been 
ready to say of him, " The Lord is our Judge, the 
Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King, he will 
save us." Yes, as the only King and Lawgiver to 
his people, he claims the heart to be surrendered to 
him in supreme love and universal obedience ; every 
imagination of the heart is to be brought into a state 
of subjection to him ; and whenever human authority 
stands opposed to his, he is ever to be obeyed rather 
than man ; for his claims upon us, as our Creator, Re- 
deemer, and Judge, admit of no competition, and must 
take precedence of, and even qualify every other. And 
as the conscience is amenable to him alone, it belongs 
to him, as its Lord, to lay down the laws by which it 
is to be guided in all its relations and transactions ; 
and between it and him no human power has a right 
to interfere. Hence, in reference to the Church, it is 
said that she is " founded on the doctrine of the Pro- 
phets and Apostles" — holy men, who spake as they 
were moved by the Holy Ghost — " Jesus Christ him- 
self being the chief corner stone." But. in reference 

1* 



O DISTINGUISHING FEATURES 

to the kingdoms of this world, their laws are all pro- 
fessedly of human origin — are enforced by temporal 
considerations — have respect merely to the outward 
actions of men — and can in no respect bind the con- 
science, except in so far as they accord with the letter 
or spirit of the laws of God ; for the human heart, and 
the eternal destinies of men, fall not within the range 
of human legislation. But the kingdom of Christ, as 
it is not of this world — as it is a rule or dominion 
over the minds of men — and as its great object is to 
bring the heart under the authority and will of God, 
directs its chief attention to it ; so that its laws and 
sanctions go infinitely both beyond and above those 
of all earthly kingdoms. 

It is different, 

3. In the character of its subjects. Of all human 
beings, it may be said that they are the fit and proper 
subjects of the kingdoms of this world ; but whilst all 
may be, yet all are not, actually fit to become the sub- 
jects of the kingdom of Christ. For it is the peculiar 
glory and honour of his kingdom that he reigns over 
a willing people — those who are genuine believers in 
him, who are partakers of his grace, and joint heirs 
with him of the heavenly inheritance. Hence, in or- 
der to an introduction to the kingdom of Christ, it is 
absolutely necessary that we should be born again ; for 
without this, he himself has told us, that we cannot 
enter into the kingdom of God. Hence all his sub- 
jects are such as are born of God, and therefore bear 
his image, and are separated in their principles, cha- 
racter, and pursuits, from the rest of the world. And 
hence, too, they are said to be a u peculiar people, the 
workmanship of God, created in Christ Jesus unto 



of Christ's kingdom. 



good works, which God hath before ordained that we 
should walk in them." Their lives are therefore 
adorned with spiritual excellence — the spring, and 
motive, and end of all with them, is Christ — them- 
selves indeed, and every thing they have, are conse- 
crated to his service ; and their ruling desire is, that 
he may be magnilied in their soul and body, whether 
it be by life or by death. So long, therefore, that they 
continue here, they regard themselves as but pilgrims 
and strangers ; hence they do not view earth as their 
rest, but " look out for a city which hath foundations, 
whose builder and maker is God ;" and whilst at home 
in the body, they regard themselves as absent from the 
Lord ; so that they " labour that, whether present or 
absent, they may be accepted of him." Far different, 
however, is the character of those who are merely the 
subjects of the kingdoms of this world. They have 
never fled to lay hold upon him as the only hope that 
is set before us ; they have therefore no interest in 
his grace — are not devoted to his service, but are the 
slaves of sin and Satan, and the enemies of God by 
wicked works. So far, also, as it regards life, its end 
is never seriously contemplated, nor do they make 
any preparation for eternity or the coming judgment. 
The world contains their all, and the narrow span of 
life bounds their desires, their hopes, and their ambi- 
tion. But the subjects of Christ's kingdom are holi- 
ness unto the Lord ; and, by dying " daily unto sin 
and living unto righteousness, and by looking for and 
hasting to the coming of the day of God," they live and 
act for eternity. Thus, as to the character of its sub- 
jects, the kingdom of Christ is vastly different from the 
kingdoms of this world. 



8 DISTINGUISHING FEATURES 

It is different, 

4. In its means of support and defence. In attend- 
ing- to the history and proceedings of the kingdoms of 
this world, how often do we find that they have re- 
course to a variety of means in order to support and de- 
fend their interests, which are altogether inadmissible in 
the kingdom of Christ. Thus, what cunning and du- 
plicity, injustice and oppression, and cruel and bloody 
wars have they often practised and carried on in support 
and defence of what they considered their own inter- 
ests ? But the kingdom that is not of this world can 
never be supported or defended by such means. Com- 
pulsion, in every degree and form, is expressly prohibit- 
ed ; and the only means which are appointed for its sup- 
port, defence, and extension, are instruction, and the ho- 
liness and zeal of its subjects. Yes, the weapons of our 
warfare are not carnal, but spiritual ; the only one, 
indeed, which the Christian is permitted to wield 
against his enemies, is "the sword of the spirit, which 
is the word of God." And even in the use of this he 
is ever to imitate the example of him who has said, 
u We have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, 
not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of 
God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth, 
commending ourselves to every man's conscience in 
the sight of God." The shout of the warrior, and 
garments rolled in blood, may do very well for him 
who is only a subject of the Prince of this world, and 
who only seeks after an earthly crown ; but they are 
quite inconsistent with the character of him who is a 
disciple of the meek and lowly Jesus — who came not 
to destroy men's lives, but to save ; and who has com- 
manded his disciples merely to preach the Gospel to 



op Christ's kingdom. 9 

every creature, and so to cause their light to shine 
before men, as that, seeing their good works, they 
may be led to glorify their Father which is in heaven. 
And even when evilly intreated, they are not to acton 
the principle of retaliation or revenge, but contrari- 
wise ; they are to give blessing for cursing, to do good 
to them who hate them, to pray for them who de- 
spitefully use them and persecute them, that they may 
be the children of their Father who is in heaven ; for 
he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, 
and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. Or, 
as the sentiment is expressed in the Divine command 
by the pen of the Apostle Paul, "If thine enemy hun- 
ger, feed him ; if he thirst, give him drink ; for in so 
doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head ;" that 
is, such kindness will melt down his obstinacy and 
enmity, and convert him into a friend of the truth. 
Thus, also, in reference to the means of its support 
and defence, this kingdom is altogether unlike the 
kingdoms of a present world. 
It is different, 

5. In its honours, rewards, and punishments. The 
kingdoms of this world, in order to allure to obedi- 
ence and devotedness, and to deter from the commis- 
sion of crime, have their honours, rewards, and 
punishments ; but they are all earthly, and often un- 
certain, and terminate for ever at death. They are 
seldom, also, a mark of true greatness of character, 
or justly awarded; and even when enjoyed, seldom 
contribute to the happiness of the individual who pos- 
sesses them. And as to the punishments, however terri- 
ble they may appear to flesh and blood, yet, if the mind 
is possessed of a conscience void of offence towards 



10 DISTINGUISHING FEATURES 

God and man, it can bear them with unshaken forti- 
tude, and even come off more than a conqueror 
through him who has loved us. But far different are 
the honours, rewards, and punishments of the king- 
dom of Christ ; for these have respect chiefly to the 
soul, and consist in the abundant communication of 
spiritual blessings ; in the enjoyment of the favour and 
friendship of God ; in the society and friendship of 
angels ; in admission into heaven ; and the obtaining 
there a crown of life for ever and ever. And as its 
honours and rewards are exalted and blessed, so its 
punishments are proportionately awful and agonizing ; 
for they are the wrath of God, descending upon his 
enemies for ever and ever. Thus their nature and 
endless existence communicate to them an import- 
ance, and grandeur, and awfulness infinitely greater 
than can be connected with any thing springing from 
the kingdoms of a present world. For what are all 
their honours and rewards, if we must take farewell 
of them at the grave ? And what are all their pu- 
nishments to the righteous, but a fiery chariot to car- 
ry them to their crown, and their never-ending joys 1 
Or what are they, when contrasted with the worm 
that dieth not, and the fire that is never to be 
quenched ? Well, then, may the subjects of this king- 
dom " not fear them who kill the body, but are not 
able to kill the soul, but rather fear him who is able to 
destroy both soul and body in hell." 

It is different, 

6. In its extent and duration. The kingdom of 
Christ, in this respect, so far surpasseth all the king- 
doms of this world that they can bear no comparison 
with it. For even the greatest of them have compre- 



of Christ's kingdom. 11 

hended but a small portion of the globe, and have 
been comparatively but of short duration. The 
kingdom of Christ, however, includes within its wide 
range the righteous of every age and of every coun- 
try, from the murdered Abel till the last that shall 
be born of God upon earth. Going back to the an- 
nouncement of the first promise to man for its com- 
mencement, it also looks forward to the consummation 
of all things as its end, when its great Head shall de- 
liver it up to the Father, and God shall be all in all. 
And in tracing its ultimate extent by the light of 
prophecy, we find that it is to break in pieces and con- 
sume the various opposing kingdoms of the earth, 
and to include within it the whole family of man ; 
for every knee upon earth is to bow down and wor- 
ship him. His truth and spirit are to form the cha- 
racters of all mankind ; to diffuse their influence over 
every institution of society ; and to unite all in one 
Faith, one Lord, and one Baptism. And thus, from 
the river even to the ends of the earth, his name is to 
be great, and in every place incense and a pure offer- 
ing are to ascend to him. But, in contrast with this, 
what are all the kingdoms of this world ? Where, 
for example, are the ancient empires of Greece and 
Rome, of Babylon and of Persia? Where are they? 
But, like their founders and their heroes, already long 
since numbered amid the wreck of things that 
were. The kingdom of Jesus, however, though at 
one time or another opposed and persecuted by all, 
has outlived, and will outlive, them all ; and will go 
forth, conquering and to conquer, till there shall not 
be a tongue that is silent in his praise, nor a heart to 
be found in this wide world that will dare, openly at 



12 DISTINGUISHING FEATURES 

least, to manifest its hostility against him : for he will 
break every enemy with a rod of iron, and shall dash 
them in pieces like a potter's vessel ; and then " shall 
he reign from the rising to the setting sun, and men 
shall be blessed in him ; yea, all nations shall call 
him blessed." 

By way of improvement, we remark : 

1. That the kingdom of Christ is of a spiritual na- 
ture. This is the case in reference to the rule which 
he exercises over us ; it has chiefly a respect to the 
soul — the objects and designs which he has in view by 
this kingdom, and the principles by which all his sub- 
jects are actuated. "Hence," said he on a certain oc- 
casion, " the kingdom of God is within you ;" whilst 
the sentiment is farther illustrated by the Apostle Paul 
when he says, " The kingdom of God is not meat and 
drink, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the 
Holy Ghost." Yes, it is a dominion over the souls of 
men — it is the enthroning of God in the human heart 
■ — it is the bringing of every thing into a state of sub- 
jection to Christ — it is the communication of spiritual 
excellence to the soul — it is the filling of it with 
spiritual joy — and it is the raising of it to spiritual and 
heavenly honours. What an exalted kingdom then 
is this ! and what a maring of its beauty and gran- 
deur to mix up with it the policy and designs of 
this world ! Heavenly and Divine in its origin, man 
cannot improve it ; and supported and defended by 
omnipotence as it is, it defies all the powers of earth 
and hell to overturn it ; and worldly policy never has 
been, and never will be, conducive to its interests. 
For as it is spiritual in its nature and ends, so it. can 
be propagated only by spiritual means ; and the more 



of Christ's kingdom. 13 

spiritual they are, they are the more likely to be suc- 
cessful. 

2. How important is the inquiry — are we sub- 
jects of this kingdom ? As it is in this kingdom alone 
that the blessings of salvation can be enjoyed, so all 
who have no place in it are under the dominion of the 
God of this world, and are sitting in the region of the 
shadow of eternal death. And all who will not have 
Christ to reign over them here, can never enter into 
his kingdom above ; for it is the Church on earth 
alone that supplies heaven with its redeemed inhabit- 
ants ; and if we become not the subjects of the Re- 
deemer whilst here, we can never become such here- 
after. The inquiry, therefore, so far as we are con- 
cerned — as to whether we are subjects of the kingdom 
of Jesus — is one of infinite importance ; for our present 
happiness and everlasting well-being are entirely de- 
pendent on this. O then, brethren, be entreated to 
examine yourselves as to whether you have been 
translated from the kingdom of Satan into that of God's 
dear son. And never forget that the seat of this king- 
dom is the soul itself, and that subjection to Jesus con- 
sisted not merely in outward profession and appear- 
ances, which are generally all that man can require, 
as it regards the kingdoms of a present world. The 
heart is what the King of Zion asks, and complete and 
uniform subjection to all his laws. Try yourselves, 
therefore, by this test; and, aware that your eternal in- 
terests are at stake, see that you deceive not your- 
selves, but that you are in deed and truth subjects of 
Him who is King of kings and Lord of lords — and such 
as he will acknowledge at last before his Father and 
the angels. 

2 



14 DISTINGUISHING FEATURES 

3. What just reasons have we for taking the deep- 
est interest in the progress of this kingdom ? Were 
this kingdom founded in oppression, or were it to be 
extended by fire and the sword, then every well-wisher 
of man would be compelled to exert his influence 
against it. But it is the very reverse of all this. For 
in place of oppression, its great object is to free us from 
the worst thraldom with which man can be afflicted, 
namely, the thraldom of sin and Satan. And whilst 
it brings the greatest possible glory to God from this 
lower world, its undoubted tendency is to promote 
peace upon earth and good-will amongst men. And 
if all the tribes and kindreds of men are ever to be 
united in friendship and love ; if war, and tyranny, 
and oppression are ever to cease ; if sin and misery 
are ever to be banished from the earth, and man rise 
to any elevated measure of purity and happiness ; it 
can only be by the universal extension and all-pervad- 
ing influence of the religion of Jesus. Infidelity, and 
science, and heathenism, have already done their ut- 
most, without having been able to reclaim a single 
solitary village from its apostacy from God, or pro- 
mote the moral improvement of a single country, or save 
a single soul. If the world, then, is ever to be saved, if 
its miseries are ever to terminate, it can only be ac- 
complished by the kingdom of Jesus. Yes, infidelity 
and science have never reached, and never can reach, 
the seat of man's woes ; as they can discover no way 
by which guilt can be removed from the soul. How 
earnestly, therefore, should every heart pray for the 
universal extension of this kingdom; and what a con- 
secration of effort, of wealth, and of zeal to this sub- 
ject should there be throughout the Church ; for never 



of Christ's kingdom. 



let us forget that it is the kingdom that is not of this 
world which is to accomplish the salvation of man ! 
Come then, my brethren, let us mark well its progress ; 
let us dedicate ourselves more entirely to its interests, 
that we may at last unite in the hallelujahs of a re- 
deemed world, where all shall sing " unto him that 
loved us, and washed us from our sins in his blood, 
and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his 
father, unto him be honour and dominion for ever and 
ever." " And he shall reign from the river to the 
ends of the earth ; and all nations shall be blessed in 
Him, and all shall call him blessed." 



16 UNIVERSAL DIFFUSION 



DISCOURSE II. 

THE UNIVERSAL DIFFUSION OF THE GOSPEL. 

Isaiah xi. 9. For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the 
Lord as the waters cover the sea. 

When the mind reviews the past history of man- 
kind, and reflects on the ignorance and idolatry, the 
crimes and oppression, which at one time or another 
have universally prevailed ; or when it surveys the 
present state of by far the greatest portion of the 
globe ; if there is any love to God or compassion to 
man in it, it cannot but shed a tear over the ruin and 
misery which sin has introduced. Nor can it, as it 
ventures to look into futurity, and to think on the many 
generations and the vast multitudes of men who shall 
come into existence between this and the closing 
scenes of the world, fail anxiously to make the in- 
quiry—Is their future history to be only like the past ? 
Are the ignorance and misery of men never to cease ? 
Are justice, purity, and truth never to form the cha- 
racters and guide the actions of men ? Is God never 
to be loved, nor the Saviour known, by all the genera- 
tions of men ? Or, is the evil spirit to be permitted to 
perpetuate and extend his influence over our world, 
till the terrors and the flames of the judgment shall 
arrive ? What mind is there, we say, that ventures to 
look beyond the narrow span which bounds its own 



OP THE GOSPEL. 17 

pilgrimage, and that feels for others' woes as it would 
that others should feel for its, that does not at the 
same time feel the deepest interest in such inquiries 
as these ? And where is the eye that can be lighted 
up with joy that does not beam with gladness as it 
glides along the words of the text ; or the ear that is 
delighted with melody, that is not enraptured when it 
hears that the united testimony of revelation is, that 
the future is not to be as the past history of man ; 
that he is not to continue throughout all generations 
the ignorant and degraded being which we now gene- 
rally find him ; but that heavenly truth is to enlighten 
him — that the grace of the Saviour is to sanctify him 
— that the Gospel is to form the characters of men, 
and to regulate the intercourse of nations—and that 
a time is to come when they shall not hurt nor destroy 
in all God's holy mountain ; " for the earth shall be 
full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover 
the sea." 

You are aware of our intention to deliver a series 
of discourses on what is denominated the Millennium ; 
and the first point which comes to be discussed, in the 
execution of our plan, is " The universal diffusion of 
the Gospel, or the universality of the Christian dis- 
pensation." But before proceeding to a consideration 
of this subject, it may not be out of place to state, that, 
by the Millennium we understand the complete and 
universal overthrow of the kingdom of Satan over the 
whole world, and the introduction of a long period 
during which every system of error and superstition 
shall perish from the earth, and Christianity be the 
only religion of mankind. In addition to these ob- 
jects, some, indeed, include in it the personal reign of 

2* 



18 UNIVERSAL DIFFUSION 

Christ on the earth. But for this idea we can find no 
scriptural authority, except it be some figurative lan- 
guage which seems never to have been intended to be 
understood in a literal sense. When we, therefore, re- 
fer to the Millennium, we are not to be understood as 
giving any countenance to this idea. 

In considering the subject that is at present to oc- 
cupy your attention, let us, 1. Endeavour carefully to 
ascertain the Scripture doctrine as to the ultimate ex- 
tent of the Gospel among the various nations of the 
earth. 2. Point out the striking adaptation of Christi- 
anity to become the universal religion of man. 

I. Let us endeavour carefully to ascertain the 
Scripture doctrine as to the ultimate extent of the 
Gospel among the various nations of the earth. 

As the future is wisely concealed from all human 
view, except in so far as God. has been pleased to re- 
veal it, so, for all our knowledge of futurity we must of 
course be indebted to Scripture prophecy — the great 
object of which is to make us acquainted with the 
purposes and designs of God concerning the Church 
and the world till the end of time. And on a careful 
examination of the Scriptures we shall find that a no 
inconsiderable portion of them consists of prophecy ; 
a great part of which has been already fulfilled, and 
has thus laid an immoveable foundation for the belief 
that what is yet unfulfilled will assuredly be accom- 
plished at the time which the Lord has fixed. In 
order, therefore, that we may see what are his purposes 
with regard to the Church in future days, we must 
endeavour to ascertain the purport of those which re- 
fer to this subject. In attending to these, we find they 
clearly 'foretell 



OF THE GOSPEL. 19 

1. That the Gospel will be theoretically known by 
all. In proof of this, the language of the text may 
be adduced as satisfactory evidence ; for it evidently re- 
fers to New Testament times, and cannot be understood 
of any state of the Jewish Church, even in its most 
prosperous days. The whole passage, indeed, refers 
to the Messiah, and the happy effects produced by his 
Gospel on the minds of men. And in attending to 
his own prediction on this subject, we find him telling 
us that " this Gospel of the kingdom shall be preach- 
ed in all the world for a witness unto all nations." 
And in exact harmony with this, and in order to se- 
cure its fulfilment, is his command unto his disciples 
to "go into all the world, and preach, the Gospel to 
every creature." Daniel, also, when referring to the 
same period and the same subject, declares that " ma- 
ny shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be in- 
creased ;" and the result of all this exertion shall be, 
that "all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation 
of our God." " The mountain of the Lord's house 
shall be established in the top of the mountains, and 
shall be exalted above the hills ;" that is, the Chris- 
tian Church shall obtain a prominency above every 
thing else ; " and all nations shall flow into it ;" so that 
no man shall have occasion to say to another, know 
the Lord, for all shall know him from the least to the 
greatest. " Yea, the Lord shall be king over all the 
earth ; in that day there shall be but one Lord, and 
his name one." " From the rising of the sun to the 
going down of the same, my name shall be great 
among the Gentiles ; and in every place incense and 
a pure offering shall be offered unto my name ; for my 



20 UNIVERSAL DIFFUSION 

name shall be great among the heathen, saith the 
Lord of hosts." 

From these passages, to which many others might 
be added of the same import, nothing can be more 
obvious, than that the Gospel shall be univer sally- 
known over the whole earth. Just as the waters 
cover the channel of the sea, even so shall the know- 
ledge of the Lord, and of his wonderful works for the 
salvation of man, cover the whole earth. Then there 
shall not be a country, nor an island, nor a family on 
the face of the globe that shall be destitute of the 
Gospel. And then " shall Christ have dominion from 
sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the 
earth ; yea, all kings shall fall down before him ; all 
nations shall serve him." Every thing shall give way 
to the influence of his truth. His enemies shall be 
clothed as with a garment of shame, whilst upon him- 
self shall the crown of universal empire flourish. 

2. It will be savingly known by vast multitudes in 
all lands. ?f Ask of me," says the Father to the Son 
in the second Psalm, " and I will give thee the hea- 
then for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of 
the earth for thy possession." And in virtue of this 
engagement of the Father to the Son, it is said that 
" all the ends of the world shall remember, and turn 
unto the Lord, and all kindreds of the nations shall 
worship before thee." The Saviour, too, when refer r 
ring to the ultimate effects of his death, and exalta- 
tion to his honours in heaven, said, " and I, if I be 
lifted up, will draw all men unto me ;" whilst the pro- 
phet declares that the Spirit, through whose influence 
it is that the kingdom of Christ is to be advanced, is 
to be poured out on all flesh; and the result or accom- 



OP THE GOSPEL. 21 

plishment of all this, is stated in the triumphant 
voices which John heard in heaven, saying, "the 
kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of 
our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for 
ever and ever." These, to which many other passages 
of similar import might easily be added, prove, beyond 
the possibility of a doubt, that at least vast multitudes 
in all lands shall be savingly converted to Christ ; and 
that there shall not be a nation upon the earth that 
does not, in its national capacity, profess subjection to 
Him ; so that every knee on earth, as well as every 
knee in heaven, may be said to bow down to him, and 
crown him Lord of all. 

But though these prophetic descriptions leave us in 
no doubt as to the universal and triumphant influ- 
ence of the Gospel in the latter days of the world, yet 
other passages seem to intimate that they are to be un- 
derstood with some limitations. Thus the Saviour, 
when referring to the termination of all things and 
the ingathering of the redeemed to heaven, merely 
says that " many shall come from the east and from 
the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, 
and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven ;" whilst the pro- 
phet Isaiah, towards the close of the 65th chapter, in 
the whole of which he is treating of the Millennium, 
says, " there shall be no more thence an infant of days, 
nor an old man that hath not filled his days ; for the 
child shall die an hundred years old ; but the sinner, be- 
ing an hundred years old, shall be accursed." That is, 
we apprehend, that some may even then live on to the 
age of a hundred years, and die at last impenitent ; so 
that, notwithstanding the happiness and spiritual joy 
which may universally prevail around them, they shall 



22 UNIVERSAL DIFFUSION 

die under some awful marks of the Divine displea- 
sure. But, even admitting that there may be some 
solitary instances of impenitence, yet we have every 
reason to believe that they will form exceptions to the 
general rule, and that there will be no instances of 
gross and outward depravity. The current of public 
sentiment and example will all be in favour of the 
Gospel and genuine piety ; so that the glowing de- 
scription which Daniel gives of these days shall be 
amply fulfilled. " And 1 the kingdom, and dominion, 
and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole 
heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of 
the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting king- 
dom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.'» 
And then, too, shall be verified, to the fullest extent of 
its meaning, the triumphant description of the Psalm- 
ist : " His name shall endure for ever ; his name shall 
be continued as long as the sun ; and men shall be 
blessed in him ; all nations shall call him blessed." 

3. It will be much more extensively and accurately 
known in its principles and spirit than it has ever yet 
been. In looking round on the Christian Church, it 
requires but little discernment to perceive that Chris- 
tianity, both in its sublime doctrinal truths, and in its 
holy and active principles, is still — comparatively 
speaking — but little understood. The great body, in- 
deed, of the professed disciples of Jesus are but chil- 
dren in knowledge, to whom may well be applied the 
cutting reproof of the Apostle — " For, when for the 
time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one 
teach you again which be the first principles of the 
oracles of God, and are become such as have need of 
milk and not of strong drink." Nor is it difficult to 



OF THE GOSPEL. 23 

account for this state of things. For, is it not a fact 
too flagrant to be denied, that, in reference to the 
great mass of the followers of Christ, Revelation is 
lamentably neglected as a branch of study ; that al- 
most every thing is preferred before it ; and that the 
mind and pursuits of most are so altogether earthly, 
that it is absolutely impossible for them to make any 
great proficiency in the understanding of that which 
is so diametrically opposed to the current of their 
thoughts and the bent of their affections ? Many of 
the divisions, too, which have unhappily taken place in 
the Church, and the wrangling spirit of controversy 
which has sprung out of them, have greatly hindered 
our progress in Divine knowledge, and in the spirit of 
the Gospel. The Holy Spirit also, through whose en- 
lightening and sanctifying influence alone it is that 
we can make any real progress in the ways of truth 
and righteousness, has hitherto been greatly restrained 
in his communications, and resisted in his operations 
on the minds of men. But during the Millennial age, 
the very reverse of all this is to be the case ; for re- 
ligion is then to be the grand business of man — the 
Bible then will not be the neglected book that it is too 
often now — the pursuits and affairs of the world, in 
place of being, as they are now, the first, will be com- 
paratively but little thought of; and the love of gain, 
which, as the Apostle tells us, " is the root of all evil," 
will no longer be the curse of the mind, as it cramps 
its energies and debases its affections. The Holy 
Spirit too, is then no longer to be restrained or resist- 
ed ; but is to be poured out in the jnost copious effu- 
sions on the minds of men. With all these favour- 
able circumstances, therefore, what progress in the 



24 UNIVERSAL DIFFUSION 

knowledge of Divine things, and in a practical con- 
formity to the Spirit of Divine truth, will the peo- 
ple of God then doubtless make ! What difficulties 
may vanish, and what obscurities may he cleared up, 
when all shall be light in God's light clearly ! Such 
a delightful state of things, prophecy also evidently 
leads us to anticipate ; for, when alluding to the state 
of the Church in the latter days, Isaiah — using na- 
tural imagery in order to illustrate that which is 
intellectual and spiritual— says, "The light of the 
moon shall be as the light of the sun ; and the light 
of the sun shall be seven fold, as the light of seven 
days, in the day when the Lord bindeth up the breach 
of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound." 
Yes, such will be the superior degree of knowledge 
then above what we now have, that it will be as if the 
light of the moon were to equal that of the sun, and 
as if the sun were to pour forth on the world as much 
light in one day as he now does in seven. What a 
delightful prospect is this, when ignorance shall have 
for ever fled away, and " the earth shall be full of the 
knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea !" 

Let us now consider, 

II. The striking adaptation of Christianity to be- 
come the religion of the world. 

1. Its doctrines, as they are of unspeakable impor- 
tance to all, so they are capable of being understood 
and believed by all. Of all the subjects which can oc- 
cupy our attention, there are none so important as 
those which Revelation either amplifies or reveals ; 
and they are not only important, but are so clearly re- 
vealed, that all may understand them ; and when un- 
derstood, they cannot but appear as so just in reference 



OF THE GOSPEL. 25 

to God, and so reasonable and merciful to man, that 
all will be induced readily to believe them. For what 
a flood of light does it pour on the being, the nature, 
the character, the blessedness, the government, and 
the various relations of God to us ; on the origin of 
man, his primitive state of rectitude and happiness, 
his apostacy from God, and his miserable condition as 
guilty and depraved ; on the wondrous mediation of 
the Saviour for us, his astonishing humiliation in our 
world, and his suffering even the death of the cross 
that he might be the great atoning sacrifice for the sin of 
the world, his resurrection from the dead, his exaltation 
at the Father's right hand, and his interceding for us ; 
on the method of our reconciliation with God through 
faith in the righteousness of the Redeemer, and the re- 
newing of the Holy Spirit ; on the various duties and 
exercises of the Christian life ; on the world to come, 
the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment ; 
on the blessedness of the righteous in heaven, and on 
the misery of the wicked in hell ? Of what vast im- 
portance to mankind universally, are correct and sav- 
ing views of all these ; and how clearly are they stated 
in " the word of the truth of the Gospel !" For there, 
glorious though these truths are, yet they are brought 
down to a level with the capacities of all. So that, 
unlike various systems of heathenism which have pre- 
vailed, in the Gospel there are no mysteries which it 
is the peculiar privilege only of the learned to know ; 
for to all, whether they be learned or ignorant, civiliz- 
ed or barbarous, bond or free, it speaks the same lan- 
guage — reveals the same truths — enjoins the same 
duties — offers the same Saviour — and points out the 
same method of salvation. Thus, in its very structure 

3 



26 UNIVERSAL DIFFUSION 

it has respect to the common character of man ; that 
is, that God has made of one blood, and has communi- 
cated the same capacities to all men who dwell on the 
face of the earth ; so that if its announcements and 
disclosures are important to one, they are equally im- 
portant to all • and if they are understood and believed 
by any, they may be so by all. In its very struc- 
ture, therefore, it is evidently adapted to become the 
religion of all mankind. 

2. Its blessings, as they are needed by all, so they 
are offered to all. The declaration of the word of God, 
that all, both Jew and Gentile, have become guilty 
before God — a declaration which is amply verified by 
the history of man in every age — presents the whole 
family of man as involved in one common ruin. All 
are by nature dead in trespasses and sins, and are there- 
fore children of wrath. All, therefore, without one 
solitary exception, stand in need of salvation, and ex- 
actly such a salvation as the Gospel offers ; and for 
this salvation all have equally alike no claim. Under 
the Old Testament dispensation, for reasons which 
were infinitely wise and good, the knowledge of this 
salvation and the enjoyment of the means of grace 
were confined to a single nation ; but under the Gos- 
pel, the wall of partition between it and the rest of 
mankind is entirely broken down, and the ambassa- 
dors of Christ are to go over the length and breadth of 
the world preaching the Gospel of the grace of God, 
and offering unto all alike freely, without money and 
without price, the blessings of salvation. As it thus 
points out Christ as the great and only remedy for the 
misery of man — telling us that there is no other name 
by which we can be saved than his — so its invitations 



OF THE GOSPEL. 27 

are addressed to all. Yes ; in the language of univer- 
sal application, it says to the whole family of man, 
" Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters" 
— " In the last day, that great day of the feast, even 
Jesus himself stood and cried, saying, { if any man 
thirst, let him come unto me and drink ; and him that 
cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out.' " And, 
still further to illustrate this delightful feature of the 
Christian dispensation — " The spirit and the bride" 
— that is, the Holy Spirit and the redeemed in heaven — 
" say, come ; and let him that heareth, say, come ; and 
let him that is athirst, come ; and whosoever will, let 
him take the water of life freely." The salvation of 
the Gospel is thus offered to all— is the common pri- 
vilege of all. Like the light and the air of heaven, to 
which all have a right of equal access, so all may 
come to the healing waters, and take them freely and 
live. How conclusive, therefore, is this testimony, that 
Christianity is designed and adapted by God to be- 
come the universal religion of man ; that her pro- 
visions and promises have respect to all ; and that she 
seeks to number her disciples, without any distinction 
of clime, or colour, or kindred, or language, the in- 
habitants of all lands — that thus " the Father, in the 
dispensation of the fulness of times, may gather to- 
gether in one, all things in Christ, both which are in 
heaven, and which are on earth, even in him." 

3. Its ordinances are such as to be easily observed 
by all. This is another fact which strikingly shows 
the adaptation of Christianity to become the religion of 
the whole world. Under the Old Testament dispensa- 
tion, the ordinances were such as could be observed only 
within the limits of the land of Judea ; and many of them 



28 



UNIVERSAL DIFFUSION 



only in Jerusalem itself; but under the Gospel, these 
local prescriptions are all done away, and God is repre- 
sented as the God of the whole earth ; so that " men 
may pray every where, lifting up holy hands without 
wrath and doubting — if haply they may feel after him 
and find him, for he is not far from any one of us." 
The forms of devotion are also few and inexpensive ; 
and her chief ordinances are venerably plain and 
sublimely significant, and such as man can observe 
in every variety of situation in which we find him. 
For where is there a nation or a people that cannot sup- 
port the preaching of the Gospel, or that cannot observe 
the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord's Supper? 
Thus, in the total exclusion of every thing in the shape 
of worldly pomp and grandeur, and of all costly sacri- 
fices from Christianity, and in the placing of all ac- 
ceptable acts of worship in the sentiments of the mind, 
and in the purity, love, and reverence of the heart, we 
see that, in its ritual, it possesses a simplicity which is 
admirably adapted to the diversified circumstances of 
the family of man. Ordinances adapted to one coun- 
try but not to another, to the learned and the wealthy 
as distinguished from the poor and illiterate, it has 
none. To all, it prescribes one common form ; and 
wherever we are — whether it be on land or on the 
sea — there is not an ordinance of the Gospel which 
we may not, without inconvenience and without any 
burdensome expense, enjoy. How worthy, then, is 
the religion of Jesus of universal diffusion ! With 
what Divine simplicity does it appear to be clothed 
when contrasted with all the gorgeous inventions of 
man under the name of religion ! And how likely is 
it, when mankind become truly enlightened, to ap- 



OP THE GOSPEL. 29 

prove itself to every man's conscience, and to lead all 
to cast their idols to the moles and to the bats, and to 
abandon the unmeaning and costly pageantry con- 
nected with them, and come and be followers of the 
truth even as it is in Christ ! 

4. It is universally diffusive in its spirit. The 
spirit of the Gospel, unlike that of every system of 
worldly policy which has at any time prevailed, and far 
surpassing that of the Jewish dispensation, is, in the 
highest sense, the spirit of proselytism ; or, in other 
words, whoever is made a partaker of the grace of 
Christ, will naturally desire and endeavour to bring 
all others to the enjoyment of the same blessing. We 
find this beautifully illustrated in the case of the pri- 
mitive believers in Christ, who no sooner found rest 
and peace for themselves in him. than they carried the 
glad tidings to their relatives and friends around them ; 
and in the case of Saul of Tarsus, who no sooner ex- 
perienced the efficacy of Divine grace, and obtained 
an inheritance among them that are sanctified, than 
he began to preach the faith which he had formerly 
sought to destroy ; so that he "showed first unto them 
of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all 
the coasts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they 
should repent, and turn to God, and do works meet 
for repentance." Every genuine believer, indeed, be- 
comes a living epistle of Christ, known and read of all 
men ; and in place of being satisfied with possessing 
the heavenly gift himself, he is so to cause his light to 
shine before men around him, that they, seeing his 
good works, may be led to glorify his Father which is 
in heaven. Like his Lord and Master, he is even to 
go about seeking to do good, by teaching the ignorant, 



30 UNIVERSAL DIFFUSION 

by reclaiming those that are out of the way, and by 
endeavouring to win all who may come under his in- 
fluence, to Jesus. Nor is this all. The whole family 
of man is to share in his benevolent regards ; and he 
is to long and to pray for the happy period, when the 
glad tidings of salvation shall be known unto all the 
dwellers on the earth ; and means for the attainment 
of this object, whether they involve personal sacrifices 
or exertion, must be furnished. And if he is really a 
partaker of the grace of Christ, and of the hope of ever- 
lasting life, he will feel himself constrained to do this 
as much from sense of love to the Saviour, as from a 
feeling of compassion to his fellow men. His con- 
stant aim, indeed, is to live to Christ, and for Christ, 
and so as to promote the best interests of men. And 
knowing that these can never be secured, nor the 
glory of the Redeemer be promoted, without the uni- 
versal diffusion of the Gospel, to this object he is 
willing to give himself, his life, his all. And, as illus- 
trative of the delight which he feels in the extension . 
of the Divine glory and in the happiness of man, he 
is ever ready to say, " Blessed be the Lord God, the 
God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things ; and 
blessed be his glorious name for ever; and let the 
whole earth be filled with his glory ; Amen, and 
Amen." Thus, whatever view we take of the Gospel 
— whether we consider it in its doctrines, its blessings, 
its ordinances, or its spirit — we must come to the con- 
clusion that it is admirably adapted to become the reli- 
gion of the whole world. 

By way of improvement of this part of the subject, 
we may remark, 

L What a delightful prospect Scripture prophecy 



OF THE GOSPEL. 31 

affords us of the future state of our world. The plan 
of divine mercy, and the revelation of the divine will, 
which the Gospel contains, present us with the only 
means by which the miseries of our world can be 
healed. Hence, wherever they have been made 
known and received in purity and truth, the burden of 
sin has been removed from the conscience ; its domi- 
nion has been broken in the heart ; the love of God 
has descended ; the peaceable fruits of righteousness 
have sprung up ; and life, in place of ending in eter- 
nal death, terminates in the glory and blessedness of 
heaven. How delightful, therefore, must be the state 
of the world, when Christianity shall be universally 
known and felt in its power by all the tribes and kind- 
reds of men ! When ignorance, with all its concomi- 
tant crimes, shall cease, and idolatry shall no longer 
pollute the world and ruin the souls of men ! When 
the wandering Tartar, the roving Indian, the debased 
and injured xAiriean, with the various nations of the 
Eastern, world, shall be enlightened by the heavenly 
truths of the Gospel ; shall be adorned with all its 
spiritual excellence ; and shall therefore be holy, and 
happy, and free ! When an ignorant and degraded cha- 
racter shall no where be met with ; when scenes of 
vice shall no longer meet the eye nor pain the heart ; 
when every one shall be striving who shall bring 
most honour to God and the Lamb ; and when his 
will shall be done on earth as it is done in heaven ! 
Who, that duly reflects on these things, does not re- 
joice at the happiness which awaits our descendants, 
and the generations of men who are far off; and does 
not long and pray for the introduction of these happy 



32 UNIVERSAL DIFFUSION 

days, and does not also anxiously inquire in what way 
we may be instrumental in introducing them?- 

Wherefore, 

2. Let us endeavour, by all means accordant with 
the Gospel, to extend the knowledge of the Lord over 
the whole earth. And the very first way in which 
we can do this, is by believing the Gospel ourselves, 
and by imbibing, and on all occasions exemplifying, 
its pure, peaceful, and heavenly spirit; and by labour- 
ing, through our whole conduct, to contribute to the 
decisive ascendency of Christian principle over the 
maxims and customs of the world in the place where 
we dwell ; throwing the whole weight of our influ- 
ence, and that in all ways and on all occasions, espe- 
cially by a holy and uniform example, into the scale 
of scriptural piety. And were every member of a 
church thus to act, how soon might ignorance and 
iniquity be banished from amongst us, and multitudes 
be induced to come and join themselves to the Lord 
in a covenant never to be forgotten. But when, in 
opposition to this, the professed followers of the Lamb 
conform to the world, and are proud, covetous, con- 
tentious, selfish, and as worldly-minded as those who 
make no pretensions to religion, how deep is the in- 
jury which is done to genuine piety, and to the cause 
and kingdom of the Redeemer ? For if the world is 
to be renovated and made happy by the gradual diffu- 
sion of Divine truth, and the prevalence of the tem- 
per and conduct which that truth, when believed and 
felt, assuredly forms ; then, to countenance the world, 
and to resemble it in its spirit and maxims, is to hin- 
der the advancement of the kingdom of Christ in the 



OF THE GOSPEL. 33 

earth. O that the disciples of Christ would keep this 
remark constantly in mind ; and that they would en- 
deavour in every thing to hold forth the word of life, 
and to shine as lights in the world. Particularly 
should parents, and all intrusted with forming the cha- 
racters of the rising generation, bear this subject in 
mind ; and use every means, and be unwearied in 
their efforts, to instil the knowledge of the Lord into 
their minds. And if I may be permitted to express an 
opinion concerning the tendency of the present sys- 
tem of education, I would say that it is by far too 
worldly ; there is by far too little of the knowledge 
of the Lord in it ; so that, if God does not in mercy 
interpose to prevent it, the rising generation is likely 
to grow up even more worldly-minded than the pre- 
sent. Parents, however, and all intrusted with the 
education of youth, should bear constantly in mind 
that they are bringing up children on whom may de- 
volve the principal share of the exertion necessary to 
introduce the Millennium, and whose eyes and hearts 
may be blessed to see and enjoy the happy day, when 
the knowledge of the Lord -shall cover the earth as the 
waters do the channel of the sea. Endeavour, there- 
fore, by imparting to their minds this knowledge — by 
training them up in habits of entire devotedness to 
God, and of spiritual enterprise in seeking the best in- 
terests of men — to qualify them for this exertion, and 
to prepare them for this happiness. And whilst we 
have a heart to pray, or a hand to labour or to give, or 
a tongue to speak, never let us cease to take the deep- 
est interest in the various plans which are now in ac- 
tive operation for diffusing the Gospel in all lands. 
Yea, as descriptive of the fixed resolution of our 



34 UNIVERSAL DIFFUSION 

hearts in connexion with the spiritual renovation of 
the world, let each of us now say, " If I forget thee, 
O Jerusalem ! let my right hand forget her cunning ; 
if I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the 
roof of my mouth ; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my 
chief joy." 

3. How inimical to the best interests of man must 
they be, who are the enemies of the Gospel. But who, 
you possibly may inquire, are the enemies of the Gos- 
pel 1 Such are all who deny its Divine authority, and 
oppose it. Such is every impenitent sinner ; and 
such is every one who withholds his prayers, his ef- 
forts, and assistance to send it over the world ; for " all 
who are not with me," says Christ, "are against 
me." Yes, every impenitent sinner is an enemy to 
Christ and his cause ; and such, too, is everyone who 
stands aloof, and takes no part in the efforts which are 
now made to extend his kingdom over the earth. And 
as both classes hinder its progress, and so far as their 
example and influence extend, prevent mankind from 
being blessed in Him, so are they to be ranked amongst 
the worst enemies of the human race. For, to be 
conducive in any way or measure to the ruin of 
souls, is the greatest crime of which we can be guilty. 
Be intreated, then, impenitent sinners, and all of you 
who have no heart to feel for the miseries of men, nor 
a hand to contribute in order to spread abroad the 
knowledge of the Lord, to lay this to heart. For in 
so acting, you are not only the enemies of God, but 
the enemies of the world. O, let the impenitent come 
then, and lay down his hostility to the Prince of Peace, 
and join his influence to that of those who are long- 
ing for the time when all the ends of the earth shall 



OF THE GOSPEL. 35 

see the salvation of God. And let those who have 
hitherto declined taking any part in the various plans 
which are in operation for the renovation of the world, 
be intreated to come up to the help of the Lord — to the 
help of the Lord against the mighty ; for in the day of 
final decision, and throughout the ages of eternity, it 
will be found that he who has contributed most, by his 
example, his prayers, and his efforts, to save the souls of 
men, has been the greatest benefactor of the world, and 
has risen highest in the honours and in the estimation 
of heaven. 



36 HOLINESS OF CHRISTIANS 



DISCOURSE III. 

EMINENT HOLINESS OF CHRISTIANS DURING THE 
MILLENNIUM. 

Is. lx. 21. Thy people shall be all righteous. 

To the mind that is truly enlightened to discern 
the beauty of holiness, and that can form a just esti- 
mate of the happiness to man and the glory to God 
which result from it, what a delightful object of con- 
templation, must the ancient people of God have been, 
when " they were holiness to the Lord, and the first 
fruits of his increase;" And what a delightful state 
of things must have existed among the primitive be- 
lievers in Christ, when '•' they continued daily in the 
Apostle's doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of 
bread, and in prayer, praising God, and having favour 
with all the people, and when great grace was upon them 
all." Religion or piety was then the great business of 
their lives ; and it was piety, not merely in profession, 
but reality — for ''great grace was upon them all." 
And such was the effect, which it produced even on 
those who continued destitute of it, that they mani- 
fested a peculiar regard to them on account of it ; a 
circumstance which may lead the people of God clearly 
to see that the surest way to obtain the respect and 
esteem of the men of the world, is for them to live up 
to their profession, and " adorn the doctrine of God 



DURING THE MILLENNIUM, 37 

their Saviour in all things." But such a state of 
things, holy and impressive as it was, presented only an 
epitome of the Millennial Church, and of the impres- 
sion which genuine piety will then make on those 
who are destitute of the grace of God. For then the 
number of the disciples, when contrasted with those 
who were not of the household of faith, was exceed- 
ingly small ; but during the Millennium, the great 
mass of mankind in all lands are to be numbered 
amongst the followers of the Lamb. Piety will then 
have the countenance of all, and be genuinely dis- 
played by an immense majority of the human race. 
It will therefore carry every thing before it, and be 
the grand absorbing question, and the constant employ- 
ment of men ; for so universal and genuine will it be, 
that the state of the Church will then form a beautiful 
realization of the language of the text — " Thy people 
shall be all righteous." That it is of the Church in 
the latter days the Prophet is here speaking, cannot 
admit of a doubt in any mind that will attentively 
consider the preceding part of the chapter ; and from 
this passage we propose to consider the eminent holi- 
ness of the people of God during the Millennial age. 
In considering this subject, let us, 1st, Briefly describe 
the nature of Christian holiness. 2d, Show in what 
respects it will manifest itself. 3d, Point out the au- 
thority of Scripture for leading us to anticipate that 
the Millennial Church will profess it in this eminent 
degree. 

I. We are briefly to describe the nature of Christian 
holiness. By the term " holiness," we mean all that 
is included in piety, whether it relate to the sentiments 
of the mind — the affections of the heart — or the actions 

4 



cJa HOLINESS OF CHRISTIANS 

of the life. And we remark, that it may be contem- 
plated r in a twofold light, viz. as it is displayed in 
conformity to the moral image of God, and in the ex- 
ercise of entire dependence on Christ, and complete 
subjection to his authority, under the controlling in- 
fluence of the Holy Spirit. And no form of piety 
which does not include both of these, can come up to 
the piety of the Gospel. Let us briefly view it then as 
including, 

1. Conformity to the moral perfections of God. 
Piety, viewed in this light, implies that the sentiments 
Which the mind entertains of every thing, harmonize 
with God's — that there is no discrepancy between 
them — but that we are entirely one with God in all 
our views and plans. And as an evidence of this one- 
ness of heart with God, we delight in his laws — ■ 
make them our rule of duty in all things — submit to 
his authority, and cultivate the exercise of every af- 
fection which can make us resemble God. For as 
our Heavenly Father is perfect, so are we, in all things, 
to study to be perfect. Not that we can ever equal 
in degree the various perfections which exist in his 
nature, or even attain to a complete resemblance to 
them — at least so long as we continue in a present 
state — but we are constantly to aim after it. Thus, 
as God is holy, so are we to be " holy in all manner 
of conversation and godliness." As God is just and 
true in all his ways, so are we also to be in ours. As 
the goodness and tender mercy of God are over all 
his works, so are we to study to have goodness and 
mercy exhibited in all ours. And as he is ever seek- 
ing the good of man, so must we also be ever actively 
employed in. endeavouring to do good to all around 



DURING THE MILLENNIUM. 39 

us. Thus, and thus only, can we manifest that we 
are " the children of the Highest ;" for He is kind, 
even to the unthankful and the evil. Christian holi- 
ness or piety, therefore, is not merely a resemblance 
to God in his purity, but also in all his active bene- 
volence to man. It is the cherishing of every affec- 
tion, and the manifesting of every action which can 
illustrate the moral perfections of God in this lower 
world, and ultimately, through the operation of his 
grace, bring all to be like him. 

2. The exercise of entire dependence on Christ, 
and complete subjection to his authority under the 
controlling influence of the Holy Spirit. Such is the 
present state and character of man, that there can be 
no piety in him but what springs from faith in the 
Lord Jesus, and from the operation of his grace in the 
heart. For though it was natural to man, so long as 
he stood in his state of innocence, yet, ever since his fall, 
sin hasobtained the dominion over him, and has corrupt- 
ed and deranged every faculty and affection of his soul ; 
and the only way by which sin can be destroyed, and 
the soul be renewed after the image of God, and the 
various principles of piety be implanted in the heart 
and sustained in the life, is by Christ, H who is," for 
this purpose, " made of God unto us wisdom, righteous- 
ness, sanctification, and redemption." But Christ never 
can become such to us unless the whole heart is sub- 
mitted .to him, and we are led to regard him as " the 
Lord our righteousness, our strength, and our Re- 
deemer." And, just in proportion to the entireness of 
this submission and dependence, so will Christ reign 
over us, and the various dispositions and affections 
spring up in the soul which constitute an active dis- 



40 



HOLINESS OF CHRISTIANS 



play of Christian piety in the world. The soul, there- 
fore, that is living under the influence of it, lives in 
the habitual exercise of faith in Christ, of supreme 
love to him, and in the constant enjoyment of fellow- 
ship with him. And as these exercises can never be 
put forth, nor kept up, nor this fellowship be main- 
tained, but through the influence of the Holy Spirit — 
through whose agency alone, in the economy of Re- 
demption, it is that we become connected with Christ, 
and obtain an interest in all the blessings of his salva- 
tion — true piety includes in it also the exercise of eve- 
ry becoming affection to the Holy Spirit. The whole 
soul, indeed, must be under his renewing and direct- 
ing agency in order to have it manifesting and grow- 
ing in the principles of piety ; and as the piety of the 
latter days is not only to be genuine, but of an exalt- 
ed character, there cannot be a doubt but that believ- 
ers will then be filled with the Spirit, and, as a matter 
of course, also with "the peaceable fruits of righteous- 
ness to the praise of the riches of Divine grace, where- 
in we are made accepted in the beloved." 

Having thus briefly described the nature of Chris- 
tian holiness, let us now, 

II. Show in what it will manifest itself. As piety 
is subject to no change in its principles, either as to 
time or place, so the only difference between the piety 
of the latter days and the piety of the present will con- 
sist in degree, and the exact proportion which there 
will be in all its parts. In endeavouring to illustrate 
it, we remark that we may consider it as consisting, 

1. In greater purity of religious sentiment. As all 
our practice is regulated by the sentiments which we 
entertain, so the superior degree which will then exist, 



DURING THE MILLENNIUM. 4L 

* 

will commence in the mind's forming more enlarged 
and correct views of Divine things, and of the whole 
compass of Divine truth, and of religious practice. 
Particularly will this be the state of the case in refe- 
rence to the views which the people of God will then 
form of his nature, character, and government ; of the 
plan of salvation, as constituting the most glorious 
display of the Divine perfections ; of the person 
and grace of the Saviour ; of the work of the Holy 
Spirit ; of the nature of the Christian life ; of the 
worth of the human soul ; of the happiness and ho- 
nour which spring from friendship with God ; and of 
the infinite glory and blessedness of heaven. How 
limited and indistinct are the views which most enter- 
tain of these subjects in the present day ! But such 
will not be the case when the earth shall be full of the 
knowledge of the Lord ; for then the Sacred Scrip- 
tures will not only be more read, but be indescribably 
better understood, than they are at present ; and the 
consequence of all this will be, that the mind will form 
more elevated and more correct views of every thing 
in connexion with God and Christ, and the Spirit, and 
heaven and eternity. Its conceptions of these will be 
far more vivid and abiding ; for present and perish- 
ing objects will not then, as now, occupy the chief 
thoughts of men. Divine things will obtain a com- 
manding prominence in all the investigations and re- 
searches of the mind. And when we add to this 
the complete revolution in public sentiment concern- 
ing them, and this unwearied study of them, the su- 
perior measure of the teaching and sanctifying influ- 
ences of the Holy Spirit which all will then possess, 
we can be at no loss to see that the believers of 

4* 



42 



HOLINESS OF CHRISTIANS 



the Millennial age will far excel us in the extent and 
accuracy of their knowledge of Divine things. 

2. In greater spirituality of mind. Constituted as 
we are, we readily admit that, so long as we remain 
in connexion with a present world, it will be absolute- 
ly necessary for us to spend some time in thinking 
about, and in attending to, worldly concerns. For if 
man, in a state of innocence, had worldly duties to 
perform, as he certainly had, he cannot expect, even 
amid the holiness and happiness of the Millennium, to 
be altogether elevated above them. Besides, a be- 
coming measure of attention to worldly concerns is no 
where prohibited in the word of God. All that piety 
seeks, in relation to it, is to regulate this attention, and 
to assign to it its due measure of our thoughts and 
time. But as it at present exists, how lamentable is 
the excess of thought about temporal objects when 
contrasted with that which is spent on those which 
are spiritual ! How many anxious cares, too, about 
earthly things, which have no tendency to promote 
our prosperity and welfare, often harass the imagina- 
tion of multitudes by night as well as by day ! And 
by these how greatly is the exercise of holy disposi- 
tions impeded, and their vigour weakened in the soul ! 
But in the happy state of things which will exist in 
the latter days, the principles of religion will take a 
far deeper hold of the heart ; the current of the 
thoughts will be taken away from the world and its 
vanities ; a constant intercourse will be kept up be- 
tween the heart and Cod, and between earth and 
heaven ; the Gospel will obtain a complete ascendan- 
cy over every faculty and affection of the soul. Reli- 
gion, indeed, in one word, in its glories and varied 



DURING THE MILLENNIUM. 43 

aspects, as it connects us with God and one another, 
and with eternity and heaven, will be the grand em- 
ployment for which the mind will be ever prepared. 
Yes, Christians will then be spiritually-minded, and 
will always have a heart to rise superior to the 
drudgery of the world, of sin, and Satan ; and this, 
wherever they are, and in whatever they are engaged, 
will appear to be their genuine character. 

3. In a uniform regard to all the, ordinances of re- 
ligion, and in entering into them with the whole heart. 
The ordinances of religion have ever been the ap- 
pointed mediums through which we can hold converse 
with God, and the gracious channels through which 
he communicates his love to our souls. Hence they 
have ever been regarded as the wells of salvation ; 
and the soul that has tasted and known that God is 
gracious, when it has acted in accordance with its 
state and obligations, has never failed to attend to 
them. But owing to the present low attainments in 
grace, and the undue measure of attachment to the 
world and worldly concerns, how imperfectly has this 
hitherto been done 1 What trifling excuses often pre- 
vent us from attending to them ? With what wander- 
ing thoughts do we often wait upon God ? And what 
cold and insensible hearts do we often bring with us 
into his service ? But, along with the complete revo- 
lution which will then take place in sentiment and 
disposition, there will be a grand change also respect- 
ing all the ordinances of religion. The duties of the 
closet, the social devotions of the family, and, above 
all, the public ordinances of the house of God, will be 
esteemed as the highest treats for the soul ; and an 
hour spent in them will be regarded as far more pro- 



44 HOLINESS OF CHRISTIANS 

fitable than ten thousand spent in the business of civil 
life. The wandering thought will also be gone ; the 
cold and insensible heart will disappear from the wor- 
shipping assembly ; the spiritual affections will be 
strong ; the flame of devotion will burn bright on the 
altar of the heart ; and the delight which the soul will 
enjoy in the exercise, will be a lively representation of 
that which the spirits of the just made perfect expe- 
rience, when they sing the song of Moses and the 
Lamb for ever in the heavenly temple. Acts of wor- 
ship, too, and probably even the public ordinances of 
religion, will likely be a great deal more frequent than 
at present ; so that the piety of the Millennial Church 
may manifest itself very much in this way. 

4. In conducting all the transactions of life with a 
strict regard to the principles of the Gospel. Chris- 
tianity is evidently intended to be in all respects a 
practical system, applicable to all the concerns and 
transactions of life; yet it is but rare indeed that its 
principles are either uniformly or duly carried out. 
In most cases, indeed, this is regarded as impractica- 
ble ; and, generally speaking, Christianity is excluded 
from the common affairs of life, and such rules laid 
down for the government of the conduct which our 
own sense of expediency or self-interest alone dictate. 
But when the knowledge of the Lord shall cover the 
earth, and all ranks of the community shall be brought 
under its influence, then every transaction will be re- 
gulated— every plan of gain will be formed and execu- 
ted — and every enterprise will be prosecuted on the 
principles of the Gospel ; and, according to its dictates, 
so also will the gains of successful enterprise be inva- 
riably applied. For, to use the words of the prophet 



DURING THE MILLENNIUM. 45 

in relation to ancient Tyre, as descriptive of the views 
of the Millennial Church on this subject, a Her mer- 
chandize and her hire shall be holiness to the Lord ; 
it shall not be treasured nor laid up ; for her mer- 
chandize shall be for them that dwell before the Lord." 
In other words, wealth will then be employed not in 
contributing merely to external grandeur, or so as to se- 
cure our own ease or carnal enjoyment, but in plans 
of benevolence, and particularly for the support and 
spread of the Gospel. How diiferent, however, have 
hitherto been the views and feelings of men ! For, 
do we not see that the world and the things of the 
world are loved and pursued with the utmost eager- 
ness for themselves, as if they possessed some intrin- 
sic worth? But then they will be loved and pursued 
only as means of doing good ; and, when possessed, 
will be supremely consecrated to the service of God. 
Every thing in the shape of injustice in getting, and 
of avarice in retaining, will be banished from the 
world; and every man will do unto another that 
which he wishes to be done unto himself. A feeling 
of universal confidence and open-heartedness will ex- 
ist in all. Self-interest and selfish ends will never be 
thought of; and the whole family of man will exhibit, 
only on an enlarged scale, the harmony, affection, and 
obliging dispositions which may sometimes even now 
be seen in a happy and united domestic circle. Such 
will be another feature in the piety of the Millennial 
age. 

5. In presiding over and adorning all the relations 
of life. To the various relations which exist in society, 
we are indebted, under God, for a great measure of 
#ur happiness. Thus, who can tell how much th© 



46 HOLINESS OF CHRISTIANS 

relations of husband and wife, of parent and child, of 
friend and neighbour, have contributed to the allevia- 
tion of the miseries of the world, and to the enhanc- 
ing of our joys ? Of what immense benefit, too, to a 
whole community has a pious and exemplary ruler 
been ? But how much more happiness might all have 
experienced from these relations, if they had been uni- 
formly formed and regulated on the principles of the 
Gospel ? Now, as the Gospel is to mould the charac- 
ters and guide the actions of all during the Millennial 
age, there cannot be a doubt that it will also shed its 
cheering influence over every relation of life ; and whilst 
it greatly endears them to us, will put an end to every 
thing in them which is productive of misery. Hence 
conjugal unhappiness will then likely be wholly un- 
known — parental grief over filial rebellion and profli- 
gacy will likely never be felt — the tear of filial sorrow 
over parental unkindness will likely never flow — the 
infidelity of friendship will never need to be lamented 
— the want of neighbourly assistance and sympathy 
will never be felt — and tyranny and oppression in 
rulers will never make the subject to groan ; for piety, 
in its purifying and blissful influence, will preside 
over and adorn all the relations of life. Yes, every 
one, in whatever relation he is placed, "will then 
adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things," 
by carrying it out into, every thing, by practising the 
duties which it enjoins, and by exemplifying the spirit 
which it produces ; and then, when this is done by 
all, the manifestations of the malevolent dispositions, 
which now fill the world with so much misery, will 
cease, and all will dwell together in love — each con- 
tributing by his example and efforts to render another 



DURING THE MILLENNIUM. 47 

happy ; and all testifying that the true and only way 
to be happy is to be holy, and constantly living under 
the influence of the Gospel of Christ. 

Having thus endeavoured to illustrate the piety 
which will exist during the Millennial age, let us 
now, 

III. Point out the authority of Scripture for lead- 
ing us to believe that the Millennial Church will 
possess it in this eminent degree. Here, were it 
necessary, we might again adduce the various pas- 
sages which were brought forward in order to con- 
firm the position of the previous discourse, as illus- 
trative also of this. But it is not necessary, as we 
are furnished with others which are equally, if not 
more, explicit. Thus, the Prophet Isaiah, ch. xxxii. 
15, 16, when speaking of the latter days, says. " The 
spirit shall be poured upon us from on high, and 
the wilderness shall be a fruitful field, and the 
fruitful field be counted for a forest ; then judgment 
shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness re- 
main in the fruitful field." Every one who is ac- 
quainted with the phraseology of Scripture, knows 
that natural imagery is very often used in order to 
illustrate spiritual objects. And just so is it here. 
The spirit is to descend from on high, not merely 
as the drops of the morning dew, but as the copious 
shower which waters the earth, and causes it to 
bring forth ; and the happy consequence of this is, that 
H the wilderness shall become a fruitful field, and the 
fruitful field shall be counted for a forest." The mean- 
ing of which we apprehend to be, that the various na- 
tions that were previously ignorant of the Gospel and 
destitute of piety, shall become fruitful in every good 



48 HOLINESS OF CHRISTIANS 

word and work ; and to such an extent will piety re- 
vive and flourish, that the piety of former ages will ap- 
pear but as the barrenness of the desert when con- 
trasted with it. Still more decided is the Prophet Ze- 
chariah, ch. xii. 8, when he says, "In that day he that 
is feeble among them shall be as David, and the house 
of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord be- 
fore them." That is, in these times of spiritual refresh- 
ing from the presence of the Lord, the weakest Chris- 
tian will be equal to the strongest now, and in his ex- 
ercises even rival the man after God's own heart. 
And as it regards the distinguished and most eminent 
members of the household of faith, here denominated 
"the house of David," in their dispositions and exer- 
cises they will be liker the angels of heaven than men 
on the earth. Yea, the prophet even goes farther than 
this, and says, " they shall be as God." That is, in 
their purity, benevolence, and conduct, the resem- 
blance between him and them shall be complete ; and 
the injunction of the Saviour shall be fully realized, 
" Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in hea- 
ven is perfect." And when the piety of the Church 
shall have equalled this beautiful and sublime descrip- 
tion, it will more than realize the highest conceptions 
which we can now form of it. For, think of the va- 
rious nations which are now sunk in brutal ignorance 
and idolatry, equaling the most favoured spots of the 
Church in the present age, and the weakest believers 
becoming as the strongest now, and the strongest then 
becoming as the angels, yea, resembling God himself, 
and we have presented before us a representation of 
excellence and happiness which must be seen and ex- 
perienced before we can fully comprehend it. In such 



DURING THE MILLENNIUM. 49 

a state of things moral evil must in a great measure 
have fled away from the world, and the earth have be- 
come a no mean representation of heaven. Rejoicing, 
then, in the certainty of these holy and happy days, let 
us all endeavour to hasten them on, 

1. By seeking a greater measure of holiness in our- 
selves. By the Millennium, we have already told you 
we mean merely the universal and triumphant in- 
fluence of the Gospel over the whole world. Hence, 
the more extensive that we see it spreading, and the 
more eminent that we see its holy and happy influ- 
ence manifesting itself, we see the unquestionable evi- 
dence of its approach. And who is there that does not 
long for its commencement 1 But whilst we long and 
pray for it, never let us forget that, commence when it 
will, it will do so in a revival of personal religion. 
Should not all then who are praying, and longing for 
it, begin now to seek after a higher measure of Chris- 
tian excellence, of Christian usefulness, and of Chris- 
tian happiness '? Rest not satisfied, therefore, my be- 
loved brethren, with low attainments. Forget the 
things that are behind — reach forth to those that are 
before you, and endeavour now to reach some mea- 
sure of the piety, and to enjoy some portion of the hap- 
piness, of the Millennial age. And, in place of falling 
behind, endeavour to be in advance of the general 
spirit and attainments of the day in which you live — 
that thus you may reach the exalted dignity and ho- 
nour, the highest which a creature on earth can reach, 
namely, the being eminently instrumental in extending 
the Redeemer's glory in the world, and promoting the 
present and everlasting happiness of man, and secur- 
ing the universal triumph of the Gospel over all lands. 

5 



60 HOLINESS OF CHRISTIANS 

2. By discountenancing in every practicable way, 
and as far as we can, every species of wickedness. In 
looking around on the world, even in the present day, 
what, may we not ask, is there which hinders the ra- 
pid spread of the Gospel, and the speedy introduction of 
the Millennium, but wickedness ? Yes ; it is wicked- 
ness in the various forms in which it exists in Christian 
countries that enfeebles the efforts of the Church, and 
that prevents so many of her members from reaching 
that eminence in piety which they might otherwise 
attain. Do we therefore expect, and long for a period 
when iniquity, as ashamed, shall hide her face in the 
dust, we must begin now to frown upon it wherever we 
see it ; and by the diffusion of correct principles among 
all around us, and especially by the exemplification in 
our own conduct of every thing that is pure, lovely, 
and of good report, endeavour to induce " the wicked 
to forsake his Way, and the unrighteous man his 
thoughts, and lead him to return to the Lord that he 
may have mercy upon him, and to our God that he 
may abundantly pardon." And if every disciple of 
Christ were to act in this manner, how soon might 
every wicked person be brought to feel the influence 
of the Gospel, and perceive that when we oppose and 
decry his wickedness, we have no other end in view 
but to do him good in a present world, and to make 
him a fellow-heir with ourselves of the grace of ever- 
lasting life. Would you therefore be instrumental in 
introducing the happy days to which we have been 
directing your attention ? Here is a way in which all 
may do something, and many much, that may hasten 
them on. And for your encouragement let it be re- 
membered, " that he who converteth a sinner from the 



DURING THE MILLENNIUM. 51 

error of his ways, will not only save a soul from death, 
but will hide a multitude of sins," which might other- 
wise have contributed to the ruin of many souls. 

3. By endeavouring to train up all who are under 
our care in the love and practice of an eminent de- 
gree of piety. If the habits of thinking and acting of 
those who are advanced in life, are too strong, and too 
long formed, for us to expect any very great change 
in them, this remark cannot apply to the rising gene- 
ration ; for their views of things are not yet established, 
and their habits of action are not yet acquired. How 
important, therefore, must it be to secure them to the 
love and practice of a more eminent degree of piety 
than at present prevails ? Parents, therefore, and all 
who are intrusted with the training of the youthful 
mind, should use every effort to protect it against the 
many errors and the grovelling spirit of the present 
age, and to fill it with the most exalted views of the 
necessity of piety to the well being of man, and of the 
happiness which springs from it. Children, indeed, 
should be taught from their earliest days to regard 
it as the very first thing to which they should attend ; 
to form also a high standard of moral and benevo- 
lent action ; and should be encouraged constantly to 
endeavour to excel in it ; so that, in place of sinking 
lower and lower in the scale of Christian attainment, 
each successive generation, as it fills up the place of 
the past, might reach higher and higher, till the love, 
and purity, and happiness of the Millennial age be 
universally introduced. And what an honour will it 
be to any to be thus instrumental in training up those 
whose exertions are to introduce, and whose eyes are 
to be blessed ^vith seeing, this happy reign of rights. 



52 HOLINESS OF CHRISTIANS, ETC. 



ousness and truth in the earth. Come, then, my 
Brethren, let us all thus engage in this noble enter- 
prise; and let us endeavour to leave the rising genera- 
tion more intelligent, more holy, and more happy than 
ourselves ; that those who are to come, as they rise up 
and look back on our humble efforts, may call us 
blessed. And should God crown your efforts with 
his blessing, and enable you to leave behind you a 
race distinguished for more eminent piety than your- 
selves, it will be the richest legacy which you can 
leave to the Church, your country, and the world. 






UNION OP THE CHURCH, ETC. 53 



DISCOURSE IV. 

UNION OF THE CHURCH DURING THE MILLENNIUM. 
Jbr. xxxii. 39. And I will give them one heart, and one way. 

To the mind that has paid any thing like a becom- 
ing measure of attention to the difficulties in the way 
of any great and arduous undertaking, nothing can 
appear of greater importance in order to insure suc- 
cess than union amongst its friends ; for it is a true 
saying, that union is strength. But not only is it 
strength; in every thing involving co-operation, it is 
essentially necessary to comfort and happiness; fcr t 
just as it or its opposite prevails, so do these or mist 
ry prevail amongst all who are professedly engaged 
in a common enterprise. The beauty and utility of 
any system depend also very much on its unity of de- 
sign, and the adaptation of all its parts harmoniously 
to co-operate so as to effect it. Now, no one who is 
acquainted with the Gospel can need to be informed 
that its object is one ; and that this object is to bring 
glory to God in the highest, and to proclaim peace on 
earth, and good will towards men ; so that, wherever 
we find it professed in its genuine spirit, we may na- 
turally expect to find it also productive of these happy 
effects. But, owing to a variety of causes, these effects 
have been exhibited only in a very imperfect manner 
and in a very limited degree. For as Satan knew fuU 

5* 



54 



UNION OF THE CHURCH 



well that union was strength, so his efforts seem to 
have been principally directed in order to prevent it, 
by sowing discord and contradictory sentiments and 
errors among the Disciples of Christ. Hence the ex- 
traordinary number of opposing sects and parties into 
which the Church is so unhappily divided; and hence, 
too, the rancour with which their discussions and con- 
troversies have been so frequently carried on. Now, 
to a mind which takes a comprehensive view of all the 
evils which have flowed from this, no subject can ap- 
pear more delightful than that which is the subject of 
the promise of the text ; namely, the arrival of a 
time, and of a state of things in the Church, when all 
this discord and contrariety of views shall cease, and 
when the various tribes of the Israel of God shall 
have one heart, and shall walk in one way ; when the 
envy of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of 
Judah shall be cut off; and when Ephraim shall not 
envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim ; but 
all shall dwell together in love, in the unity of the 
faith and in the bonds of a holy and lasting peace. 
This constitutes, as you may recollect, the next topic 
of discussion in the series of our Millennial discour- 
ses ; namely, The union of the Church during the Mil- 
lennium. 

In directing your attention to this subject, let us 
consider: I. In what the Union of the Millennial 
Church will consist. II. The grounds for believing 
that it will ever be brought about. HI. The happy 
consequences which will follow from it. 

I. In what the union of the Millennial Church will 
consist. From the nature of the long-boasted and 
dreary union of the Catholic Church, it is obvious 



DURING THE MILLENNIUM. 55 

that a union in name and appearance may exist even 
amongst the most heterogeneous and conflicting ma- 
terials j but such is not the union which will exist in 
the happy days of the world to which we are looking 
forward , for it will consist, we remark, 

1. In the belief of the same doctrinal troths. The 
doctrines of the Gospel are to be regarded as occupy- 
ing the same place in Theology as first or elementary 
principles do in any science ; without a knowledge of 
which it is impossible to make any progress in it. We 
are well aware, indeed, that many profess to pay little 
regard to doctrinal sentiments,, under the mistaken 
idea that it is a matter of little or no consequence 
what a man's opinions be providing his conduct be 
right. But this view of the case is as unphilosophical 
as it is unscriptural ; for it either overlooks or sets 
aside the unquestionable principle that, as a man 
thinketh in his heart, so will he be in his outward eon- 
duct. Indeed, in place of regarding a man's thoughts 
or opinions as of little or no moment, true philosophy 
will ever teach us to regard them as of the first or 
utmost importance to the formation of character. 
For unless the mind do constant and universal vio- 
lence to itself, it will naturally act out its principles, 
whatever they may be. If our doctrinal sentiments, 
therefore, be wrong, it is morally impossible that our 
conduct can be right ; and if we are not agreed in 
them, there can be no real union either in principle, 
in feeling, or in operation. Besides, whatever doc- 
trine God has revealed, he has revealed it that it 
should be believed, and be carried out in all its practi- 
cal bearings on the heart and conduct. And such 
will be the reverence for the Divine authority, and 



56 XJNION OP THE CHURCH 

the confidence in the Divine wisdom, and the zeal 
for the Divine glory in all the followers of Christ 
during the latter days, that they will vie with each 
other in their attachment to Divine truth. Their union, 
therefore, will not be formed on any compromising 
principle, or at the expense of sacrificing truth for the 
sake of peace. No ; valuable though peace be, yet it 
is bought at too dear a price when it is procured at the 
sacrifice of truth. Peace will follow as a natural con- 
sequence from union, and their union will be formed 
because " they are all of the same mind— all speak the 
same thing — and are all perfectly joined in the faith of 
the Gospel." But though there will be a perfect harmo^ 
ny in doctrinal sentiments, without any of those conflict^ 
ing views which at present divide and agitate the Church, 
yet it does not follow that there will be no difference 
either in the clearness or extent of their knowledge of 
these. For as the mind of no two individuals is ex- 
actly alike, either as to vigour, capacity, or the pro* 
portionate bearing of one faculty on another ; and as 
diversity in circumstances is likely to exist, more or less, 
even to the end of the world ; so we may naturally ex- 
pect that there will also be a diversity as to the clearness 
and extent of knowledge. But it will be a diversity with- 
out contrariety ; and, like that which exists among the 
created beings in heaven, will only communicate beau- 
ty, delight, and improvement to the whole. And, as in 
heaven the superiority of angels to redeemed spirits does 
not interrupt the harmony of their delightful exercises, 
so will it then be upon the earth ; for no degree of supe- 
riority will be permitted to fill with pride on theonehand, 
or with envy and discontent on the other ; for all will 
have one heart, and all will walk in one wav. 



DURING THE MILLENNIUM. 



57 



2. In adhering to the same principles of govern 7 
ment, discipline, and worship. Our preceding remark 
referred more particularly to the internal state of the 
Church ; this refers to its outward form, and the ma- 
nagement of its affairs. And here, as in the former in- 
stance, we are well aware that there is a diversity of 
opinion as to how far the principle of union will ex- 
tend ; that is, whether there will be a complete uni- 
formity of plan, as well as an avowed adherence to 
the same great principles of government, in the va- 
rious sections of the Church. Of the necessity of 
good government and discipline, in order to preserve 
the purity and secure the prosperity of the Church, all 
the genuine disciples of Christ are agreed. But, it is 
added, that as one and the same object may be gained 
by a variety of ways, so it is supposed that these also 
may be reached by a variety of means, or plans, or 
modes of action; so that the various systems of go- 
vernment and discipline which are at present in use, 
may, according to this scheme, be perpetuated to the 
end of the world. As we are, however, of a different 
opinion from this, we shall briefly state the reasons 
which lead us to be so. In the first place, we cannot 
believe that God has left his Church without any pre- 
scribed form of government and discipline, to be mould- 
ed according to the imperfect and frequently erro- 
neous views of men. In opposition to this view of the 
case, we firmly believe that he has so revealed his 
mind and will on these, as well as on all otrfer sub- 
jects connected with the interests of his Church, that 
it requires us only faithfully to follow it in order to 
arrive at the same conclusions. Secondly, we firmly 
believe that a period will arrive when all the disciples 



58 UNION OP THE CHURCH 

of Christ will thus act ; and whenever they do so, we 
have no doubt that they will be found abandoning 
every thing that is merely of human origin, and 
strictly adhering to the law and the testimony of the 
Lord our God. A blind attachment to that which is 
ancient — fo.it not primitive — merely because it is so, 
which has ever been the fruitful source of by far the 
greatest part of the errors that prevail on this subject, 
will give place to an enlightened and supreme regard 
to the word of Jesus. And as the law of the Lord is 
said to be perfect and exceeding broad, extending in 
fact to every thing— that is, laying down the princi- 
ples which are to guide us in all our actions and re- 
lations with one another — whenever this happy state 
of things shall have arrived that all will strictly ad- 
here to it, there cannot be a doubt this there will be a 
beautiful harmony even as to their form of govern- 
ment, discipline, and worship, as well as it regards 
their doctrinal sentiments. 

3. In co-operating towards the attainment of the 
same objects. The great objects which do, and which 
always will lie near the hearts of the children of God 
in a present world, may be said to be the glory of God, 
the edification of one another, the peace and prosperi- 
ty of Zion, and the universal happiness of man. In- 
teresting and important, however, though these ota 
jects be, yet it is too obvious to be denied that they 
have hitherto been but little regarded by the Church 
in her collective capacity. The spirit of division and 
of party, which has hitherto so extensively prevailed 
in the Church, has sadly prevented the co-operative 
principle from being duly carried out, except in plans 
of proselytism to our own peculiar views and jnte-. 



DURING THE MILLENNIUM* 59 

rests. So that if the glory of God was pursued as an 
object, it was done so only as connected with our* 
selves. If the edification of the Saints was regarded^ 
it was only as they stood connected with our own- 
body. If the peace and prosperity of Zion were 
sought, it has generally been only the peace and pros- 
perity of our own party, to the confusion and detri- 
ment of all others. And if the universal happiness of 
the family of man has been sought, it has generally 
been done only in so far as they would acquiesce in 
and forward our sectarian views. But far different 
will be the state of things during the Millennial 
age. For as all the disciples of Christ will then be 
perfectly joined in the faith of the Gospel, and will all 
mind the same things, party spirit will then have ex- 
pired, and the mighty intellectual and spiritual energies 
of the Church, in place of being frittered down into so 
many insignificant combinations that they almost 
cease to produce any effect on the great mass of the 
community, or of being employed, as they now often 
are, in counteracting the plans of one another, will all 
be united in contributing to the support and attain- 
ment of the same great objects. And what a vast 
change will this produce in the Church herself, as well 
as in the world ? Sectarianism will no longer raise 
her partition walls between any of the sections of the 
Church ; and the glory of God, the edification of one 
another, the peace and prosperity of Zion, and the 
happiness of man, will be pursued on the most ex- 
tensive scale, and on principles which will approve 
themselves to the judgment and heart of all. Yea, so 
universal and influential will this co-operation be, we 
feel persuaded, that even national interests will be pur- 



60 "UNION OF Tlifi CHUItCH 

sued no farther than as they are compatible with the 
happiness, and contribute to the improvement, of the 
whole world. 

4 In the manifestation of mutual and ardent at- 
tachment to one another. To the honour of the primi- 
tive believers it is mentioned, that "the multitude of 
them that believed were of one heart and one soul." 
The command of their Lord and Master was still 
fresh in their recollection, to " love one another, even 
as he had loved them." Hence they loved as brethren, 
and lived as such. They were united to one another 
in the truth, arid for the sake of the truth; and 
they studied to owe no man any thing but love. 
It is long since, however, that golden age of the 
Church has passed away; and since then, no one 
of the social affections has suffered more severely 
than loVe to the Brethren. Nor is it difficult to ac- 
count for this. The existence of division and of 
party spirit, to which we have already alluded, com- 
pletely explains it. For wherever these existj they 
will certainly prevent, or cramp, or fetter it in its ope- 
rations. But, as the cause or source of all these will 
be removed, in all being united in their views, plans, 
and objects, so every thing in the shape of distance in 
manner and disaffection in spirit will also be done 
away, and all will love one another out of a pure 
heart fervently. The envy of Ephraim to Judah, as 
the prophet expresses it, will no longer exist ; neither 
will Judah any more vex Ephraim. Brotherly love-, 
as it existed in primitive times, with all its kindred 
feelings and delightful associations, will again revive 
in every heart. The- interest which all will take in 
one another's concerns, will be sincere and deep, and 



DURING THE MILLENNIUM. 61 

such as will fully realize the beautiful representa- 
tion of the Apostle, " that the members should have 
the same care one for another. And whether one 
member suffer, all the members should suffer with it ; 
or one member be honoured, all the members should 
rejoice with it." The selfish principle which, in the 
present day, leads many to seek their own aggran- 
dizement and honour to the injury if not ruin of 
others, will never be permitted to appear in the trans- 
actions and intercourse of life. So that, though alt 
will be diligent in their respective callings and spheres, 
no man will think on, or pursue his own affairs, with- 
out having a friendly eye to those of others ; but all will 
feel as the members of the same family usually do to each 
other, considering that what is for the welfare and ho- 
nour of one, is also for the welfare and honour of the 
whole. In one word, the attachment which all will have 
to one another, will be in all respects such as becometh 
those who are engaged in a common pilgrimage, and 
as are looking forward with delight to an eternal dwell- 
ing together in the glory and happiness of heaven. 
Having thus considered in what the unity of the Mil- 
lennial Church will consist, let us consider, 

II. The grounds we have for believing that it wilt 
ever be brought about. So different is the state of 
things which we have now represented from what ex- 
ists in the present day, that some may possibly suppose 
it to be quite incompatible with the sinful imperfection 
which will no doubt more or less remain in connexion 
with our nature so long as we are in a present world 
Let us therefore examine this part of the subject with 
all due care. As an evidence that this state of union 
will exist, we remark, 

6 



62 UNION OF tf&E CHURCft 

1. It is the subject of Divine promise. Of this na- 
ture is the language of the text. And though the 
whole passage, doubtless, has a special reference to the 
in-gathering of the Jews, yet it is to them only as con- 
stituting part of the Christian Church ; so that, if 
such a happy state of union will exist among them, it 
will no doubt also exist among all. The same event 
is also foretold by the Prophet Ezekiel, ch. xxxvii. 16, 
1.7, under the emblem of two sticks, which represent 
Judah and Ephraim, becoming one in the hand of the 
Lord; a union, too, which is represented as lasting for 
ever. Now, in reference to these, as well as all the 
other promises of God, we must ever remember that 
he " is not a man that he should lie^ nor the son of 
man that he should repent* Hath he said, and shall 
he not do it ? Or hath he spoken it, and shall he not 
make it good ?" In the ten thousands of instances in 
which his promises have been already fulfilled, we 
have the clearest evidence that the Lord our God " is 
the faithful God, who keepeth covenant and mercy 
with them that love him, and keep his commandments 
to a thousand generations." Yes; in Divine faithful- 
ness and unchanging veracity he says, "my cove- 
nant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone 
out of my lips." Now, as it is his purpose that such 
a state of union should exist even on earth, as the Sa- 
cred Scriptures evidently lead us to believe that it is, 
as He cannot and will not change, and as treasures of 
omnipotent and everlasting might are with him, we 
may rest assured that he can, and in due season that 
he will, bring it to pass. For whatever difficulties there 
may be in the way of it, none of them can be insuper- 
able to him who has the hearts of all men in his hands, 



DURING THE MILLENNIUM.^ 



and can turn them whithersoever he will. Though 
we, therefore, had not another ground on which we 
could rest our faith and hope of it than this, yet it 
would be all-sufficient of itself to lead us to look for- 
ward to it with the greatest confidence and delight. 
But we remark, 

2. It is enjoined as a duty. " Now I beseech you, 
brethren," says the great Apostle of the Gentiles, " by 
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak 
the same thing, and there be no divisions among you ; 
but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same 
mind and in the same judgment." The same duty is 
also no less authoritatively enjoined when he says, 
H Fulfil ye my joy that ye be like minded, having the 
same love, being of one accord, of one mind." Now, 
in reference to all duties, it may be remarked that the 
very commanding of them implies the practicability 
of performing them, in the use of the means which 
God is willing and ready to bestow on us in order 
to enable us to do so. But here, we are well aware, 
it may be remarked that it is as much a duty now as 
it ever can or ever will be ; hence, if we see, the ob- 
jector adds, that notwithstanding this, the Church has 
been, and still continues to be, torn by divisions and 
the angry passions of men, we have no reason to be- 
lieve that it ever will be otherwise in time to come. 
But in reference to this mode of inferential reasoning 
from the past to the future, we beg leave to say thai, 
however plausible it may be, yet it is wholly inadmis- 
sible in determining the point at issue. For the ques- 
tion here is not what has been, but what does the 
word of the Lord tell us will be in time to come. And 
whenever we have settled this point, all that remains 



64 UNION OF THE CHURCH 

for us to do is, to attend to the means which God has 
enjoined in order to bring it about. Now, in the hap- 
py days that are before us, we have already p.scertain- 
ed that the knowledge of Divine things will be vastly 
greater than it is at present; a circumstance alone 
which will remove many of the causes which have 
been productive of, and which still perpetuate disunion. 
A reverence, too, for the Divine authority will be 
greatly higher than it is at present; so that every 
commanded duty will obtain a much greater measure 
of attention than it now does. And as religion will 
then be the great business of all, it will of course ex- 
ercise a controling influence over all the evil passions 
and desires of the human heart ; and whenever it does 
this, the fruitful source of disunion will be removed ; 
whilst the understanding, raised above this corrupting 
bias, will be left to feel the force of every Divine com- 
mand ; and whenever this shall have become general, 
we shall find that all discrepancies will cease, and that 
the whole hourehold of faith, like the primitive be- 
lievers, will be of one heart and one soul. For as 
disunion, and all the evil works which have pro- 
ceeded from it, spring not from the Gospel itself, but 
from the human heart, the very moment that all are 
brought to attend to it, and it alone, as the rule of faith 
and practice, as it speaks the same language to all, so 
the views and affections of all will naturally harmo- 
nize ; they will see eye to eye, and will all co-operate 
to the attainment and preservation of a state of perfect 
harmony and love. 

We remark still farther, 

3. It is the prayer of Christ. In that sublime and 
wonderful prayer of our Lord, which he presented to 



DURING THE MILLENNIUM. 65 

his Father only a short time before his last sufferings, 
as he looked forward to the various generations of 
men who should believe on him, we find that he thus 
prayed for them — " that they all may be one ; as thou 
Father art in me, and I in thee, that they also may 
be one in us, that the world may believe thou hast 
sent me." The union, you perceive, which Christ 
here prays for amongst his disciples, is the most com- 
plete, in all respects, which can possibly be conceived. 
Indeed, the union which exists between the Father 
and the Son, which he here constitutes the pattern 
of that which is to exist among his people, is the most 
perfect of which the human mind can form any idea. 
For it is a union which extends to every thing — to na- 
ture, to counsel, to operation, and to enjoyment. And, 
to prevent us from supposing that this union can exist 
only in heaven, he adds as the object of this prayer 
for them—" that the world may believe thou hast sent 
me." In other words, the great object of this union, 
apart from the happiness which will proceed from it 
to his people, is, that the ungodly may thereby be led 
to regard the Gospel as of Divine authority — to lay 
aside their contempt of it and hostility against it — and 
come and confess that he is Lord to the glory of God 
the Father. Now, is it reasonable, think you, to be- 
lieve that He, who " never said to any of the seed of Ja- 
cob, seek ye my face in vain," will be inattentive to this 
request of his own Son — a request, too, that is so inti- 
mately connected with his own glory, as well as with 
the happiness of his people, and the universal triumph 
of his kingdom over the empire of Satan ? Far be such 
thoughts from our mind concerning Him, who is the 
Father of mercies, and hath blessed us with all spiritual 



66 UNION OF THE CHURCH 

blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. But, in 
order to prevent the possibility of this conclusion, we 
are expressly told that " Hirn the Father heareth al- 
ways." And for this very obvious reason ; he is per- 
fectly acquainted with all his designs and purposes 
concerning us; so that this knowledge, combined 
with the perfection of his nature, renders it impos- 
sible for him to ask any thing of the Father which 
he is not of his own accord willing to bestow. Now, 
since Christ, with this knowledge, and with this un- 
changeable perfection of nature, has thus interceded 
and may still be interceding for us, there cannot be a 
doubt, in my humble opinion, that the time will as- 
suredly come when all his people shall have but one 
liOrd, one faith, one Baptism ; and when they shall all 
dwell together in love. Thus, whether we consider 
this union as a matter of Divine promise, or as a com- 
manded duty, or as the subject of the prayer of Christ, 
we are led to the delightful conclusion that it will as- 
suredly come to pass. 

Let us now direct your attention, 

III. To the happy consequences which will flow 
from it. 

1. It will be greatly honouring to Divine truth. No- 
thing can be more evident than that, as the source of 
Revelation is one, and as all the holy men who were 
the instruments of revealing it, spake as they were 
moved by the one Holy Spirit of Inspiration, so there 
can be no contradictory truths or conflicting senti- 
ments contained in it. Yet, though this is beyond all 
disputation the case, what a multitude of conflicting 
views, either through the ignorance or wickedness of 
men, have been professedly deduced from it ! And how 



DURING THE MILLENNIUM, 67 

often have the enemies of our God and of his Christ 
raised the shout of triumph over us on account of what 
they term the superior clearness and certainty of the 
voice of Nature above that of Revelation 1 Now, though 
we do not for one moment admit the truth of this as- 
sertion, yet who does not see that the divisions in 
Zion, whilst they bring a great and lasting reproach 
on her members, have also greatly strengthened the 
hands of her enemies — as they have furnished them 
with weapons, which in many instances they have 
successfully wielded against her best interests. Thus, 
how often has the Infidel replied to all the attempts 
of believers to convince and save him —"Go your 
ways, and when you are agreed among yourselves, 
then come, and we will talk over the matter." Now 
this period, and this state of things to which he so 
tauntingly refers, the text leads us to anticipate with 
the greatest certainty ; and when it shall have arrived, 
how will the boastings of the enemy be turned into 
silence, and what a triumph will be gained by Divine 
truth when there shall not be a jarring sentiment or 
conflicting passion throughout all the kindreds and 
generations of men during the Millennial age ! For, 
never let it be forgotten, that the great instrument by 
which this spiritual renovation of the human family is 
to be produced, is the word of God ; and when it is 
produced, how clearly will it prove that the Scriptures 
are not the word of man, but the word of Him who is 
perfectly acquainted with the human heart, and has 
adapted them as the means for " casting down its ima- 
ginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself 
against the knowledge of God, and bringing into cap- 
tivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." Yes ; 



68 UNION OF THE CHURCH 

when the various systems of Infidel philosophy and 
heathenism shall have perished from under these hea- 
vens, and the whole family of man shall be united in 
one faith, and the war of words, and the still worse 
war of passion in the human bosom shall cease, then 
shall be seen, in its due extent, ihe value of the Gospel 
as the instrument for enlightening and saving the 
world. 

2. It will greatly increase the efficiency of the Church. 
If the Gospel is the instrument in the hands of men 
for enlightening and saving the world, the Church is 
the instrument in the hands of God for giving it free 
course among the nations, and for bringing the tribute 
of glory to him from it which is his due. Now, as 
this is the case, every thing, of course, which has a 
tendency to call off the attention of the Church from 
this great object, must be regarded as a diminishing of 
her efficiency. And what has tended so much to do 
this, as the many divisions which have unhappily so 
long existed within her '/ But when all these divisions 
shall have ceased, and when the life-giving Spirit shall 
pervade all hearts, what will it be but as life from the 
dead ? What an incalculable amount of intelligence 
and purity will she then possess? And when her 
wealth is consecrated to God, and her energies are all 
put forth in his service without any object within her- 
self to attract her attention or enfeeble her efforts, 
what a mighty energy will shedisplay, and what honour 
will she bring to her glorious and exalted head ! What 
energy and power, e. g. have sometimes been put forth 
in the contendings of nation with nation ? Yet no- 
thing like what will be manifested by the Church 
during the Millennium has ever been seen on the face 



DURING THE MILLENNIUM. 69 

of the earth. For it will be the physical and intel- 
lectual power of the whole world, under the direction 
of Divine knowledge and Divine grace, concentrated 
on one object, the glory of God and the happiness of 
man. And when this shall be the case, what may not 
the Church accomplish in the way of bringing glory 
to Christ, even on earth ! How vain will it then be for 
his enemies— if enemies he should then have amongst 
men — to strive against him ? The perpetrators and 
abettors of crime — if any there should then be — will be 
entirely borne down by the overwhelming influence of 
intelligence and holiness which will every where exist, 
and all ranks and conditions of men, and all things, be 
made subservient to one grand object — the glory of 
God and the happiness of all. For as the Church 
will be co-extensive with the world, so the world's re- 
sources will be entirely at her command, and will all 
be employed in his service and for his glory. What 
a different thing then, in point of efficiency, will she 
be from what she either is, or has been ! 

3. It will greatly increase the happiness of the peo- 
ple of God. Every thing in the shape of discord has 
a direct tendency to diminish the happiness of all who 
may come within its influence. And how much has 
the happiness of a family, of a town, and of a whole 
neighbourhood, been sometimes disturbed and di- 
minished by the various religious contentions which 
have more or less universally prevailed ? Hence the 
social happiness of the people of God has hitherto been 
exceedingly limited, and even that, liable to frequent 
and very painful interruptions. For error has often 
separated the best friends ; whilst persecution, through 
mistaken zeal or a bigotted attachment to some fa- 



7U UNION OF THE CHURCH 

vourite party, has also not unfrequently made the 
ways of Zion to mourn. And it cannot be ques- 
tioned, that it is the natural tendency of all rival as- 
sociations to prevent the due exercise of the social af- 
fections, and those numberless acts of kindness and 
sympathy which flow from them. But as all such as- 
sociations are to cease, and as persecution, with its 
fines and penalties, its tortures and racks, shall no 
more be permitted to hurt nor destroy in all God's 
holy mountain ; and as error, with its many windings 
and false glosses, shall no more deceive the nations, 
but all shall know the truth, and live up to it ; then 
every thing which has obstructed the happiness of 
man with man shall have come to an end, and the 
fullest and freest exercise of all the Christian graces 
and affections w.ill take place in all. And when this 
is the condition of our world, how happy must it be. 
How enviable the lot of all who will enjoy it? For to 
live in the exercise and enjoyment of these, is but to 
live in the exercise and enjoyment of all the happi- 
ness of which our natures in a present state are sus- 
ceptible. Thus the honour which this state of things 
will bring to Divine truth, and the greater measure of 
efficiency which it will impart to the Church, and the 
great increase in happiness which it will secure to all, 
must render it devoutly to be wished by every bene- 
volent and sanctified mind. By way of improvement, 
therefore, of this subject, let us endeavour to hasten 
on this part of the Millennial glory of the Church, 

1. By carefully excluding from our system of truth 
every thing that has not the authority of God for it. 
Though the various denominations in the Church pro- 
fess a supreme reverence for the word of God, and to 



DURING THE MILLENNIUM, tl 

be guided by it, yet it is probably not going too far to 
say, that in all of them many things may be found 
which are not according " to the law and the testi- 
mony." Hence arises the " absolute necessity of a fre- 
quent and thorough revision of all our views, and the 
abandonment of every thing in doctrine and practice 
which is not in strict accordance with the faith that is 
in Christ. And, were all to adopt this principle, and 
carefully to exclude from their views all that are of 
no higher an origin than mere human authority, in 
place of contending— -as they often do— for the minu- 
tiae of their distinguishing peculiarities, we have no 
doubt that all the lovers of the truth, and the genuine 
possessors of the grace of God, would find themselves 
even now much more agreed than they are aware of. 
And among the many encouraging signs of the times 
in which we live, it is by no means the least that 
mere human authority is rapidly losing its influence 
in the Church, and all seem disposed and determined 
to have every opinion tried by the only unerring 
standard of faith and practice — the Word of God. 
Now, just in proportion as this disposition prevails, 
and is faithfully carried out, just so may we expect to 
approach each other in the knowledge and faith of the 
Gospel. And the more that any one denomination 
displays of this happy spirit, the more will be its influ- 
ence in contributing to the introduction of universal 
harmony and love, and the higher its standing in the 
Millennial Church. Here, then, is a subject that is 
well worthy of our highest ambition ; namely, which 
of us will come nearer, in our views of the Gospel, the 
truth as it will universally prevail during the Millen* 
nium. And here let me remark, that this eminence 



72 UNION OP THE CHURCH 

is to be gained not by sacrificing even a single particle 
of Divine truth, but by the leaving out of our system 
all that is human, and coming to a thorough know- 
ledge, and a uniform practice of all that the Lord our 
God has spoken to us. 

2. By cultivating a kind and forbearing disposition 
towards all who conscientiously differ from us. In 
the present divided state of the Church it cannot be 
doubted that there are mnny who conscientiously dif- 
fer from one another, and whose differences are found- 
ed entirely on a sense of duty. And to all such differ- 
ences a becoming measure of respect is due from every 
one ; for, if they are ever to be removed, it is not by 
the assumption of arrogance on the one hand — as if 
"we were the men, and wisdom should die with us" — 
nor, on the other, by the use of opprobrious epithets 
impeaching their sincerity. The union of the Church 
never has been, and never will be, promoted by such 
measures as these. In the manifestations of the 
Spirit, which have often been given in various 
branches of the nominal or visible Church of Christ, 
God has taught us a lesson on this subject, which we 
should endeavour to follow ; and wherever we per- 
ceive the evidences of his saving power, we should re- 
spect and love one another for what he has made us. 
Such, too, is the importance of this spirit, that it is 
only just in so far as it prevails that we are in a fit 
state of mind for calmly considering our mutual dif- 
ferences, and that we are likely to discover the undue 
measure of importance that we may have attached 
to some things, as well as the mistakes which we may 
have made in reference to others. And whenever 
these are discovered, and this disposition is allowed its 



DURING THE MILLENNIUM. 73 

free exercise, the greater part of the difficulty in the 
way of union will be found to have been surmounted. 
Let all, therefore, cultivate a charitable disposition, 
and be kindly affectioned, forbearing one another in 
love. Let me not, however, be misunderstood ; as if I 
were recommending a union at the expense of a due 
regard to truth. No ; truth, and even the truth as it 
is in Jesus, must lie at the foundation of the whole, 
and must, and ever will be the grand connecting 
link between all who love him in sincerity; and 
any union that is not formed on this principle, can 
never obtain his blessing, nor be permanent. But 
that which seems to be so much needed among all 
who love the Lord Jesus in sincerity, is the laying 
aside of all asperity in religious discussion, and mani- 
festing, on all occasions, that if we do, and must still 
differ, it is not a bigotted attachment to early preju- 
dices, nor a blind zeal for things or views of little or 
no importance, but a conscientious regard for that 
which appears to us to be the truth as it is in Christ 
that leads us to do so. 

3. By using every practicable effort fully to under- 
stand the revealed will of God, and to diffuse correct 
views of it as wide as possible. When we consider 
who the Author of Revelation is, and the awfully im- 
portant and infinitely glorious things about which it 
treats, we cannot be surprised, especially when we take 
into account in connexion with these our intellectual 
imbecility and moral depravity, that there are many 
" things hard to be understood, which they that are 
unlearned and unstable wrest to their own destruc- 
tion." The fact is, to become thoroughly acquainted 
with any science, requires great patience and perseve- 

7 



74 UNION OP THE CHURCH, ETC. 

ranee in the study of it. And just so it is, in an emi- 
nent degree, with regard to the Scriptures* For, though 
the great fundamental doctrines and facts of the Gos- 
pel are so plainly revealed that even a child may sav- 
ingly understand them, yet it must not be forgotten 
that it contains a revelation of many things, into which 
even the angels, with all the superior faculties with 
which they are endowed, desire to look, and into which 
they have looked with ever-increasing knowledge and 
delight fcince they were revealed to man. How vain 
is it, therefore, for us to expect, during the short day 
of life, fully to comprehend all the deep things of God. 
The fact is, if we would understand these things, we 
must be ever learning — making the study, and not 
merely the reading of the word of God, our daily em* 
ployment. And to all we must add, frequent and fer- 
vent supplication to the Father of lights, from whom 
cometh down every good and perfect gift; that he 
would lead us into the truth, and teach us that which 
we know not. And just in proportion as he thus en- 
lightens us, so let us study to diffuse this light, till all 
around us shall come to see light in His light clearly. 



UNIVERSAL PEACE, ETC, 75 



DISCOURSE V. 



UNIVERSAL PEACE DURING THE MILLENNIUM. 

Is. ii. 4. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke 
many people ; and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, 

, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword 
against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. 

Ever since Chedarlaomer, and his three confederate 
kings, came from a great distance that they might 
make war with the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah 
and their three friends, the kings and rulers of this 
world- seem to have considered it their peculiar privi- 
lege, and their principal employment, to make war 
with one another. And had it been merely a war of 
individuals, in place of nations, I know not that the 
world would have had much reason to lament it; as 
it would thereby have been the sooner freed from the 
oppressive influence of many who have proved the 
worst enemies to its peace and prosperity. But, un- 
happily, the same spirit of aggression and plunder, and 
a thirst for power, by which they have been so fre- 
quently actuated, have in innumerable instances been 
communicated to the people over whom they reigned ; 
so that, in reading over the history of nations, we find 
that the greater portion of it consists of little else than 
a history of their wars, and an account of their he- 
roes, and the number of men whom they slew, and the 






76 UNIVERSAL PEACE 

towns and cities which they pillaged and destroyed, 
and the wide-spreading misery which, as instruments, 
they had the honour to occasion. And notwithstand- 
ing all the heart-rending lessons which war has taught 
us — during the thousands of years that are past since 
man first lifted up his hand against his brother — the 
spirit of war still seems so deeply seated in the human 
heart, and so easily called forth into exercise, that to 
many it may possibly seem perfectly chimerical to talk 
of its ever coming to an end. For wars, say some, are 
commanded in the word of God ; as in the case of the 
Jews and the nations of Canaan. They are neces- 
sary, say others, in order to prevent the population of 
the world from increasing too much. And they are 
no less necessary, say others, in order to give life and 
prosperity to trade and commerce. But to all this 
sophistry it may be replied, that the iniquity of the na- 
tions of Canaan was so great that Divine patience and 
justice could bear with it no longer ; so that the war of 
extermination in reference to them, which the Jews 
were commanded to carry on, was a Divine judgment, 
of which they were only the executioners ; and till a 
nation can produce a Divine command for going to 
war with another, it is altogether irrelevant to appeal 
to this case for authority. As to the other two circum- 
stances, which are sometimes pled as excuses for war, 
they manifest so much impiety on the one hand, and such 
a trifling with the requirements of the Divine law on the 
other, that it is surprising they should ever have been 
heard of in a Christian land. For, can it be, think you, 
that God gives existence to human beings merely that 
the demon of war may be supplied with victims, or that 
carnage may be provided for the battle-field, or that 



I 



DURING THE MILLENNIUM. 77 

the prosperity and happiness of man should depend 
on the murder of his fellows, or the pillage and destruc- 
tion of their homes } Far be such thoughts from the 
bosom of him who has been taught that " God is love," 
and that goodness and mercy are over all his works, 
and that all things shall praise him, and that it is the 
glory and happiness of man to be like him. In look- 
ing forward, therefore, to the glory and happiness of 
the Millennial age, let us contemplate that part of it 
which will consist in the enjoyment of universal 
peace. 

In considering this subject, let us, 1st, Establish the 
certainty of the declaration that there shall be univer- 
sal peace during the Millennium. 2d, Point out the 
means by which it will be brought about. 3d, 'The 
happiness which will proceed from it. 
j: Let us then, I. Endeavour to establish the certainty 
of the declaration that there will be universal peace 
during the Millennium. For all the information which 
we can possibly possess on this subject, we must be 
indebted to the Sacred Scriptures ; for human sagacity, 
or foresight, when it attempts to reason or prognosti- 
cate about the future, unless it has some solid founda- 
tion on which it rests, can rank no higher in the scale 
of argument than mere conjecture. But whenever, 
and for whatever, we have a " Thus saith the Lord 
God/' we have all that is necessary to certify us of its 
truth ; and if it should be an event, or a state of things 
still future, to lead us also to look forward to it with 
as much confidence as we do to the rising of the sun 
on the coming day. For, in reference to every pre- 
diction of Revelation, it must be borne in mind that it 
is the word of Him who knows the end from the be- 

7* 



78 



UNIVERSAL PEACE 



ginning, and whose perfections place him beyond the 
possibility of either being deceived himself or of de- 
ceiving any one, and who can, and who will exert 
omnipotence in order to bring it to pass. When the 
mind, therefore, turns to this sacred volume, tired, it 
may be, of the clashing of arms and the din and de- 
vastations of war, anxious, too, to find something on 
which it can rest its hopes of brighter and better days 
for our world, it is met by the anthem of the multi- 
tude of the heavenly host who descended to grace 
the advent of their incarnate Lord — the second part of 
whose joyful and exalted song was, " Peace on earth." 
Not that universal peace was then to be granted, or 
then to prevail ; but that the system was then com- 
menced which was designed and calculated to produce 
it. And though Christian nations, as they are called, 
have hitherto given no evidence of any thing like a 
becoming regard to this feature of the religion which 
they profess, yet it by no means follows that they 
never will. Nay, farther we remark, that this part of 
the Angelic song, as it is to be regarded as part of the 
Revelation of God to man, and in the light of a pro- 
phecy, lays an immoveable foundation for believing 
that the time will assuredly come when they will. In 
the 72d Psl. also, which is universally admitted to have 
a special reference to the state of things when Christ 
shall reign from sea to sea, and from the river to the 
ends of the earth, we have the fullest and most satis- 
factory evidence that this will be the happy condition 
of the whole world. Thus, the delighted Psalmist, 
when looking to this period, exclaims — " The moun- 
tains," — which around Jerusalem were generally the 
haunts of banditti, and therefore fruitful with danger, — 



DURING THE MILLENNIUM. 79 

u shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills by- 
righteousness. In his days shall the righteous flou- 
rish, and abundance of peace so long as the moon en- 
durethP That is, we apprehend— In those days when 
all kings shall fall down before Christ, and all nations 
shall serve him, peace shall be the happy lot of the 
whole- world, till the moon and stars, and even the sun 
itselfj shall set in everlasting darkness. The same 
state of things is beautifully described in the glowing 
and figurative language of the Prophet Isaiah, when 
he says, " The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and 
the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf 
and the young lion, and the fading together, and a little 
child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear 
shall feed, their young ones shall lie down together, 
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the 
sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and 
the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice 
den." The whole of this passage is nothing else than 
a personification of the evil and benevolent dispositions 
of the human heart ; the beasts of prey serving to il- 
lustrate the one, and the domestic animals the other. 
And what can the representation of their associating 
together, and the safety of the sucking child among 
them mean, but the destruction of the evil and the pre- 
valence of the benevolent dispositions ? Yea, to such 
an extent is this represented as taking place, that it is 
added, " they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy 
mountain." And to show that all this is to take place 
under the Christian dispensation, it is stated, as the 
cause from which it springs — ' : for the earth shall be 
full of the knowledge of the Lord." But we need go 
no farther than the language of the text for evidence 



80 UNIVERSAL PEACE 

enough of this point. For who is it that is represent- 
ed as "judging among the nations, and as rebuking 
many people?" Does not the whole passage lead us 
to see that it is none other than he, who is " Prince of 
the kings of the earth, and Governor among the na- 
tions ?" And when is it that mankind are represent- 
ed as beating their swords into ploughshares, and 
their spears into pruuing-hooks, and nation not lifting 
up sword against nation, and as learning war no more ? 
Yes; when is it that all this shall take place; but 
when the Church of Christ shall be extended over the 
whole world : or, as the prophet expresses it, a In the 
last days, when the mountain of the Lord's house shall 
be established on the top of the mountains, and shall 
be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow 
into it." The same event, and generally in the same 
language, is also referred to by the Prophet Micah, 
who adds, in order to remove all incredulity respect- 
ing it, that " the month of the Lord hath spoken it." 
And what is it that he has spoken ? Why, that dur- 
ing the happy state of things which shall exist when 
the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, 
mankind shall not hurt, nor destroy in all his holy 
mountain ; that the slaying of men shall no longer be 
learned as an art or practised as a science ; and that, 
tired of seeing the implements of war, and probably 
ashamed of having them about their houses, they will 
send them to the anvil or the forge to be made into 
the peaceful and useful instruments of husbandry ! O 
happy state of things, when the fields of this beauti- 
ful world shall no longer be saturated with human 
blood — nor the demon of war riot amid the groans of 
the dying, nor smile at the tears of the widowed and 



DURING THE MILLENNIUM. 8t 

the orphaned, nor a single human being shall be found 
monster enough to teach his brother man how that he 
may become the most skilful and successful in hurry- 
ing- his fellow-creatures to the bar of God. No such 
arts will then be needed or taught ; for mankind will 
have become too wise to think of redressing their wrongs 
in this manner, and too good ever to attempt it ; so 
that every man shall sit under his vine and under his 
fig-tree, and none shall make them afraid. Let us now 
point out, 

II. The means by which it will be brought about. 
It will be effected, we apprehend, 

1. By a due regard being paid to the doctrines and 
precepts of the Gospel. That all war, at least on the 
part of the aggressors, is founded in injustice, and is 
only a manifestation of the malevolent dispositions of 
the human heart, cannot be questioned ; and that the 
Gospel, both in its doctrines and precepts, is the enemy 
of all injustice and malevolence is no less certain. 
And,' as an illustration of its genuine spirit and ten- 
dency, we have only to view it as it is expounded by 
the Saviour himself. Thus, as an epitome of all its 
requirements, he says, " Thou shalt love the Lord thy 
God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and 
with all thy mind ; this is the first and great com- 
mandment. And the second is like unto it — thou 
shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." Or, as he else- 
where illustrates it — " Ye have heard that it hath been 
said, thou shalt love thy neighbour and hate thine 
enemy. But I say unto you, love your enemies ; 
bless them that curse you ; do good to them that 
hate you ; and pray for them that despitefully use you, 
and persecute you." Or, as he has farther stated the 



<$2 UNIVERSAL PEACE 

same principle by the pen of the Apostle Paul, in his 
Epistle to the Romans, ch. xii. 19, 21, "Dearly be- 
loved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place 
unto wrath ; for it is written, Vengeance is mine ; I 
will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore, if thine enemy 
hunger, feed him ; if he thirst, give him drink ; for in 
so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be 
not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." 
JVow, we appeal to every man who understands the 
meaning of language, whether, if these principles had 
been allowed to form the characters and to guide the 
actions of the followers of Jesus, there could ever have 
been such a thing as a war between Christian nations? 
For would not the principle of love to each other as 
we love ourselves, have effectually prevented all in- 
justice and unkindness, and given the freest and 
fullest scope to all the benevolent feelings which the 
grace and the spirit of Go J can implant in the heart? 
And if, in place of acting on the principle of retalia- 
tion and revenge, the aggrieved had resolved not to be 
overcome of evil, but to overcome evil with good, or 
to be strong, only to repel injury without seeking after 
the life of those who may have done it, and thus ren- 
dering evil for evil, wars — if any there had been — 
could only have been hut of short duration and of 
limited extent. And if ever a time will arrive when 
mankind shall be guided by these principles, will not 
the spirit of war be cast out from his strong-hold in 
the heart, and nations be morally incapable of lifting 
up the sword against each other ? And that a time will 
arrive when all this will be, we have the clearest evi- 
dence in the word of God for believing ; for, in order 
to have war and all its concomitant evils completely 



DURING THE MILLENNIUM. 83 

banished from the world, we need no more than to 
have the earth filled with the knowledge of the Lord. 
And whenever this is the case, mankind — as we have 
already stated — will be too wise and too good to be 
guilty of injustice, and of thirsting after the life of one 
another. 

2. By the evil principles, from which war proceeds, 
being destroyed. If any mystery hangs over the ori- 
gin of war, the Apostle James has completely removed 
it when he says, " From whence come wars and fight- 
ings among you'? Come they not hence, even of 
your lusts, that war in your members ? Ye lust, and 
have not ; ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot ob- 
tain ; ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye 
ask not." The depraved heart, in its lusts and passions, 
is the origin of them all. Yes ; the false pride, the 
love of power, ambition, avarice, false notions of ho- 
nour, envy, and hatred, which naturally reign in the hu- 
man heart, are of themselves enough to account for all 
the wars which have desolated the world, and have 
caused the sighs of millions of widows and orphans to 
ascend into the ears of the God of mercy, and each one 
of them a prayer for vengeance, or a loud cry for 
compassion. Now, if these evil passions can be sub- 
dued, and principles of the very opposite description 
and tendency can be implanted in the heart, and be 
brought to govern the conduct of men, then wars, as 
a matter of course, will " cease even unto the ends of 
the earth ; the bow will be broken, the spear cut asun- 
der, and the chariot be burnt in the fire." But have 
we any reason to believe that such a renovation of 
the human heart will, in general, at any period take 
place ? Now, without referring minutely to the rea- 



o4 UNIVERSAL PEACE 

sons which lead us to believe that it will, we may re- 
mark that we have already ascertained, from a careful 
examination of the Scriptures, that Christianity is to 
become the universal religion of the world — that all 
its followers will be possessed of an eminent degree of 
holiness, and are all to be united in one faith, in one 
Lord, and in one Baptism ; and that their subjection 
to the laws of Christ is not merely to be nominal, but 
real ; and whenever this is the case, is it not evident 
that the evil passions to which we have already re- 
ferred, will be displaced from their throne in the heart, 
whilst supreme love to God, and unfeigned love to men, 
with meekness, humility, forgiveness of injuries, and 
ardent benevolence, will exert an absolute sway over 
the whole soul ? And. in order to put an end to war, 
it requires nothing more than this ; for. let the heart be 
sanctified, and the precepts of the Gospel govern the 
conduct, and every thing in the shape of injustice on 
the one hand, and of contention on the other, will be 
removed ; and as no one will hurt or destroy, wars, as 
a matter of course, must then come to an end. 

3. By mankind, in their national capacity, avoiding 
all cause of contention. Whilst many individuals 
may be found in Christian countries, who, in their 
transactions with one another, have acted on the prin- 
ciples of the Gospel, yet no nation has yet been found 
systematically aiming at the enviable distinction of 
embodying these principles into all its laws, and car- 
rying them out into all its dealings with others. 
On the contrary, a course of policy, the very opposite 
of this, has usually been adopted, and each has acted 
as if it could not flourish without supplanting the in- 
fluence or injuring the interests of others. Hence a 



DURING THE MILLENNIUM. 85 

system of policy, expediency, and management has 
sprung up, to which reference is usually made, in 
place of the Gospel, in deciding what is right and 
wrong between nations. But in the happy days when 
the kings, the rulers, and the statesmen of all nations 
shall be the genuine disciples of Christ, this expediency, 
policy, and management will be abandoned for the 
word of God ; and the first and the last inquiry of 
all — in reference to every thing affecting their inter- 
course with one another — will be, " Is it wise ? Is it 
righteous ? Is it good ? And does it accord with the 
dictates of that brotherly love which the Gospel en- 
joins?" And whenever this lovely spirit prevails, 
there will be an end to all instances of national ag- 
gression and unkindness ; and among the many en- 
terprises which may still occupy their attention, no- 
thing will be undertaken that can be injurious to the 
interests of any, nor any thing be pursued but what 
will be for the good of the whole. The innate de- 
formity of all acts of injustice and oppression will be 
clearly seen and universally admitted ; and the prin- 
ciple that it is " Righteousness alone which exalteth a 
nation," will be as universally acted on. The false 
glare, and the delusive trappings with which war has 
been so long surrounded, will also be torn oif from it 
by an enlightened and redeemed world, and will be 
seen in all its hideous deformity, and will be as uni- 
versally detested as it has been universally prac- 
tised. And wherever one human being may meet 
another, whether it be on the billow of the deep, or on 
the mountain's top, or in the throng of business, come 
they from whatever clime or country it may be under 
heaven, as the kind beaming eyes of both meet each 

8 



86 UNIVERSAL PEACE 

other, they will speak a language— though the tongue 
may be silent — which all know, and which will tell 
that nothing but "peace and good-will " reigns withm. 
In this way, we doubt not, will the spirit and the hor- 
rors of war be universally banished from the world. 

Let us now consider, 

III. The happiness which will proceed from it. 

1. One fruitful source of suffering will have come 
to an end. To enter minutely into the sufferings 
which have sprung from war, would go far beyond 
the due limits of a single discourse. Suffice it to say, 
that they include every thing which is found in the 
common ills of life, with very much that is peculiar 
to themselves. How great, for example, have often 
been the sufferings of the warriors themselves from the 
fatigue and privations which they have endured, 
from the perils which they have encountered, and 
from the deaths which they have died? But this 
is only one item in the long descriptive roll of mi- 
sery which has sprung from the demon of war. What 
shall we say of the cities which it has pillaged and 
laid in ruins, beneath whose smoking rubbish have 
often been buried many of the unoffending, the aged, 
and the helpless ? What cruelties has it also generally 
led to-— cruelties which are too harrowing to the feel- 
ings to be here described ? How many parents' hearts 
has it broken ? How many untimely widows and or- 
phans has it made ? Who, indeed, can tell the tears 
which have been shed, or the misery which has been 
occasioned, even by but one of the celebrated battles 
of modern times ? How much less, therefore, can we 
form any thing like an adequate calculation of the 
whole, since man first lifted up his hand against his 



DURING THE MILLENNIUM. 87 

brother, and nations began to learn and to practise the 
art of war ? But when peace shall smile on the whole 
family of man, this misery shall be unknown but as 
read of in the page of history ; and death, in its ravages, 
will be confined to the ordinary course of events and 
the natural influence of age and disease ; so that, come 
when it may, i: will not be accompanied with the hor- 
rors ot war, but, it may be, at the close of a long and 
useful life, amid all the comforts of home, and stript 
of its terrors by the joys of a blessed immortality. 

2. Oae fruitful source of mental and moral degra- 
dation will have come to an end. The effect which 
war has invariably had on the mental and moral cha- 
racter of man has been awfully affecting. For the 
attention of all who have engaged in it has been so 
exclusively called off to it, that no time, nor inclina- 
tion, nor convenience has been left for attending to 
the cultivation either of the understanding or the heart. 
Hence the grossest ignorance of almost every thing, 
except the art of human destruction, has generally 
prevailed among them ; whilst immorality of every 
kind and in every degree has in general marked their 
character. Or, if examples* of an opposite description 
may be found, they are so few in number, that they 
bear no proportion to the mass that are otherwise. 
Indeed, the natural and inevitable tendency of war 
may be regarded as certainly leading to the destruc- 
tion of all the tender feelings of the heart — to the ac- 
quisition of habits of crime, which would otherwise 
never have been thought of— -and to the imbibing of 
sentiments more in unison with the pagan and savage 
state than with the mild, equitable, and holy princi- 
ples of the Gospel, And this debasing influence is 



UNIVERSAL PEACE 



not confined to the individuals who are more espe- 
cially engaged in it. In the course of time it extends 
more or less to the whole community, till at length the 
mania of war seize upon every heart, and the morals 
of the nation become so contaminated with the vices 
and erroneous principles which spring from it, that the 
spirit and purity of Christianity vanish before them. 
And there is not a single nation that has ever pursued 
war as a trade, or for any length of years, whose history 
does not affectingly illustrate the accuracy of this 
statement. But when war shall have ceased, and its 
art be learnt no more, and its implements of destruc- 
tion shall no where be even seen, the nations will be 
saved from this intellectual and moral ruin, and full 
time be enjoyed for learning, and free scope be afford- 
ed for practising, the principles of the Gospel. The 
many sinks, too, of pollution and crime, which have 
sprung up from this unholy state of things, and which 
have spread, and are still spreading far and wide the 
worst sentiments and practices, shall then disappear, 
and leave the rising generation to grow np in know- 
ledge and purity without being exposed to the num- 
berless temptations which assail them in the present 
age. And what an advantage will thus be gained to 
the cause of righteousness and purity throughout the 
world. 

3. One great hinderance to the due influence of the 
Gospel will have been completely rl moved. So long 
as any two, or any number of nations continue to war 
with one another, it is impossible that they can che- 
rish or manifest to each other either the spirit or prin- 
ciples of the Gospel. The Gospel tells us " that we 
are not to be overcome of evil, but that we are to over- 



DURING THE MILLENNIUM. 89 

come evil with good ; that we are to love our enemies; 
that we are to bless them that curse us ; that we are to do 
good to them that hate us ; and that we are to pray for 
them that despitefully use us and persecute us ;" but the 
spirit and maxims of war tell us that we are to render 
evil for evil, hatred for hatred, cursing for cursing ; and 
that we are to seek, and even pray for, the destruction 
of our enemies. Now, in such a state of things, how 
is it possible for nations to manifest and cherish to- 
wards each other the spirit and principles of the Gos^ 
pel ? In place of these, how often do we find that all 
the malevolent dispositions of our fallen nature are 
cherished, and even applauded as virtues ; and ran- 
cour and hatred between the contending parties be- 
come so deeply rooted, that generations must pass 
away before they can be completely removed ? -But 
when the prediction of the text shall have been fulfill- 
ed, this mountain of difficulty will have completely 
disappeared, and the most unrestricted intercourse be- 
tween nations will take place, and the freest scope be 
afforded for the fullest manifestation of benevolence, 
kindness, and love. And in place of looking at each 
other with shyness or with an envious eye, the period 
will have arrived when even nations shall rejoice with 
those that rejoice, and mingle also their tears with 
those that weep. And what a delightful state of things 
must then exist throughout the world, when the prin- 
ciples of the Gospel shah thus mould the characters 
and influence the conduct of all the nations of the 
earth ! 

4. All things will be conducted on the principles of 
benevolence and justice. In reading over the history of 
past days, how often do we find that whole provinces 

8* 



90 UNIVERSAL PEACE 

or countries have been laid under contribution, or 
plundered from their rightful owners, by the power or 
terror of the conqueror's sword. But such brutal 
transactions will never stain the history of the world 
during the Millennial age ; for it is the age in which 
they are " neither to hurt nor destroy." The very idea 
of seizing any thing " by force of arms" as it is now 
termed, will have perished from the mind ; for the 
weapons of destruction will be known only among the 
wreck of things that were ; and the dispositions in the 
heart from which it sprang will have been completely 
subdued by the sanctifying influences of the Spirit of 
God. It will then be emphatically the reign of righ- 
teousness on the earth ; for benevolence and justice 
will occupy the throne of the heart, and every man 
will do unto others as he wishes them to do to himself. 
All fear of outrage, insincerity, and dishonesty will be 
gone, and perfect confidence be restored between man 
and man, and nation and nation. And when this is 
the case, what an accession to the happiness of the 
world will it give ? A great part of the misery of so- 
cial life is found to arise from the insincerity and dis- 
honesty of man with man ; but then these, with all 
the precautionary measures which are now necessary 
in order to protect us against them, will have ceased 
to perplex and harass the mind. And even suspicion, 
whose tortures are sometimes greater even than seen 
and known injury, and which now seems so natural to 
man, will never be permitted to disturb the tranquillity 
of the soul ; for there will be none to make afraid. 
Christ shall have sat as judge among the nations, 
and shall have rebuked many people, and they shall 
have beat their swords into ploughshares and their 



DURING THE MILLENNIUM. yL 

spears into pruning-hooks ; and nation shall have ceas- 
ed to war with nation — yea, they shall not even learn 
war any more. O thrice happy state of things, when 
this curse of the world shall have so completely dis- 
appeared that they will not even learn the art ,any 
more ! But what a revolution must take place in 
men's minds and conduct before this can arrive? 
Therefore let us endeavour to hasten on this part of 
the Millennial glory and happiness, 

1. By carefully cultivating a peaceable arid forgiv- 
ing disposition. Constituted as the human mind is, 
a mild, amiable, and forgiving disposition may be said 
to be essentially necessary to our own well-being ; and 
it was in an eminent sense the disposition of him who 
was meek and lowly in heart, and who has in all 
things set us an example that we should follow his 
steps. For if ever any one had just cause for acting 
on the principle of retaliation, and of remembering 
injuries, it was He ; for never were justice and be- 
nevolence so outraged as they were in reference to 
him. But it is concerning him it is said, that " when 
he was reviled, he reviled not again ; when he suffered 
he threatened not, but committed himself to Him that 
judgeth righteously ;" and whose dying prayer was a 
prayer for forgiveness to his murderers. O that his 
followers had imitated him more in this winning per- 
fection of his nature. It should also never be forgot- 
ten that a flourishing state of piety, and a wrathful 
and revengeful temper, are quite incompatible with 
each other ; and it is a meek and quiet spirit which 
in the sight of God is of great price. Let us endea- 
vour, therefore, my brethren, to live up to our profes- 
sion and principles, by showing mankind that true 



92 UNIVERSAL PEACE 

greatness of character consists in the exercise of be- 
nevolence and justice, and in the moral inability to 
return an injury. 

In our intercourse with mankind also, whoever and 
whatever they may be, let us be slow to wrath, and 
ever ready to forgive ; and thus we shall best illus- 
trate the distinguishing features of the Christian dis- 
pensation, as a dispensation of " peace on earth and 
good-will towards men ;" and thus, too, we shall most 
effectually put to silence the ignorance of foolish men, 
who would persuade us that it is impossible to live on 
such principles as these. The world is too wicked, 
say they, to admit of it. But if it is so now, is it not 
an important question, what is the most likely way to 
make it better? Now, who is there who does not 
know that the most effectual way to remove mistakes 
and prejudices on all practical subjects, is to manifest 
their practicability by giving oracular proof of them ? 
Let us therefore endeavour in this, as well as in every 
other respect, to be examples to all around us, and cul- 
tivate a kind, amiable, unoffending, and forgiving dispo- 
sition towards the whole family of man, that we show 
ourselves to be followers of Him who is emphatically 
styled " the Prince of Peace." 

2. By discountenancing the manifestation of male- 
volent dispositions in all others. It is exceedingly to 
be wished that all persons entrusted in any way with 
the management of children and the training of youth 
would take up correct views on this subject. The 
principle of retaliation, of pride, of false honour, and 
the love of power, have entered too deeply into the 
formation of the character of the present age to permit 
the entertaining of a hope with regard to many on this 



DURING THE MILLENNIUM. 93 

subject. But if individuals or nations, on the recep- 
tion of injuries, whether supposed or real, will still 
involve themselves and others in all the horrors and 
evils of war, let them obtain no encouragement from 
the Church ; but, as the followers of the meek and 
the lowly Jesus, let all her members show them a 
more excellent way for redressing a nation's wrongs, 
and for promoting the peace and welfare of the world. 
Particularly let parents exercise a careful watch over 
the children whom God has committed to their care, 
and endeavour by every means to check the manifes- 
tation of any malevolent disposition which they may 
see in them, and to instil into their minds such princi- 
ples of justice and kindness as will lead them to make 
it a study to contribute to the well-being of all, or as 
will prevent them from knowingly or wilfully injuring 
or offending any. And if the rising generation were 
uniformly brought up on this principle, how soon 
might the description of the text be fully realized ; and 
swords, and spears, and the other implements of hu- 
man destruction, be seen no more in Christian nations. 
3. By using every effort universally to diffuse the 
principles of justice and benevolence. Were the ques- 
tion asked — Why is it that nations rush into war with 
one another ? The simplest and truest answer which 
we could give to it would be, because they are not 
just in their dealings, nor benevolent in their feel- 
ings to each other. For, were they so, they would 
find no cause nor inclination to rush into such hor- 
rid strife. How, then, can war be effectually prevent- 
ed ? Why, very easily ; for it requires no costly sa- 
crifice, nor any extraordinary physical exertion ; but 
merely that all do justice, love mercy, and walk hum- 



94 UNIVERSAL PEACE, ETC. 

bly witH God. Yes ; under the influence of these 
principles, the dispositions in the heart, and the ac- 
tions in the life, from which wars have universally 
proceeded, will be subdued and shunned ; and man- 
kind, in place of hunting each other as the beasts of the 
forest do their prey, will find that it is their interest 
as well as their duty to live in peace and love. And as 
these principles can be disseminated only through the 
instrumentality of the Gospel, let us endeavour to send 
it as far and wide as mankind are to be found, that 
the roar of the cannon and the groans of the battle- 
field may no more be heard ; and that the tears of the 
widow and the orphan may cease to flow over the 
husband and the father who have thus been hurried 
<o an untimely grave; and that the human bosom 
may be no more torn by the fierce passions which 
war either enkindles or fosters, nor the human charac- 
ter be polluted and degraded by the crimes to which 
it has ever led. And, most happy and most honoured 
in the future history of the world will that nation be 
that is freest from the shedding of human blood, and 
whose greatness is the greatness which springs from 
the exercise of justice and benevolence, and whose 
trophies are those which are won in bringing the ig- 
norant and the lost of far distant climes to the know- 
ledge of God and the salvation of the Gospel ; and 
whose praises are not those of the warrior over his fallen 
antagonist, but those that are borne in the thanksgiv- 
ings to heaven of those who are thus saved and thus 
blessed. In contrast with these, how sickening are 
the honours, and how fearful the responsibilities, of 
war! 



HAPPINESS OP MANKIND, ETC. 95 



DISCOURSE VI. 

GENERAL HAPPINESS OF MANKIND DURING THE 
MILLENNIUM. 

Is. lxv. 18, 19. Be ye glad, and rejoice for ever in that which I create; 
for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy ; and 
I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people, and the voice of 
weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. 

We have been so long accustomed to see and to 
hear of the operation of wickedness, and the ten thou- 
sand forms in which misery has been, and still is, 
blended with the lot of man, that we are apt to be ex- 
ceedingly incredulous as to the world's ever being 
much better than it is at present. It is an evil world ; 
and as the curse of God rests on it, it is therefore, in 
the opinion of many, likely to continue so till the pre- 
sent system of things shall have come to an end ; 
when the earth, and the works that are therein, shall 
be burnt up. But a very little attention to the subject 
is enough, we apprehend, to lead us to perceive the 
fallacy of a great deal of this kind of reasoning, and to 
shake off a great deal of the apathy which springs 
from it, and to take the deepest interest on the one 
hand, and to experience the highest satisfaction on the 
other, in every thing that can contribute to the im- 
provement of man in knowledge and piety. Grant- 
ing — for who can deny it? — that evil meets us at every 
stage and in every avenue of life, yet where is the 



96 HAPPINESS OP MANKIND 

accurate observer, either of human nature or of hu- 
man society, who does not see that a great part of the 
ills of life arise from our own folly on the one hand 
and the wickedness of others on the other ? Now, if 
this folly can be removed, and this wickedness can be 
banished, is it not a fair inference that the great causes 
of this world's misery shall be put out of the way ; and 
since the Gospel is designed and eminently calculated 
to make men happy, whenever it shall exercise its sanc- 
tifying and heavenly influence over all, that the world 
must be much better than it is at present ? For, not 
only will many of the sources of suffering have disap- 
peared, but the influence of piety in elevating the charac- 
ter will be much greater, and be much more directly felt 
in alleviating the unavoidable sorrows, and in enhanc- 
ing all the real blessings of life ; whilst the blessing of 
God will descend in a richer abundance, and in a more 
uninterrupted stream than has ever yet descended on 
fallen man. Not that this world will ever be changed 
into heaven, or that its peace and beauty will ever 
equal the peace which reigned within and without, or 
the beauty which every where smiled on man in his 
state of innocence. No ; so far as these are concerned, 
the present state will be, to the very last, but one of 
imperfection ; so that the hope of the Millennial be- 
liever, like that of him in the present age, will still reach 
into that which is within the vail ; and though God will 
have created Jerusalem a rejoicing, and his people a 
joy, and will rejoice in her, and joy in his people, 
and the voice of weeping or of crying be no more 
heard in her, yet still the glory of the earthly will give 
place to the glory of the heavenly ; and the ardent as- 
piration of all will still be after the coming of the day 



during The millennium* 97 

of GocU— " looking fof the mercy of our Lord Jesus 
Christ unto eternal life" in the heavens. But though 
this will doubtless be the case, yet the text, as well as 
the state of things which will then prevail, lays a foun- 
dation for the most ardent anticipation that a much 
greater degree of happiness will be enjoyed during the 
Millennium than has been enjoyed since man fell. 
This will arise : I. From the removal, to a great extent, 
if not completely, of many of the causes of misery which 
exist in the present day. II. From relative and social 
connexions. III. From the more abundant possession 
and enjoyment of every thing which constitutes the 
true happiness of man. Let us contemplate, then, the 
happiness of the Millennium as it will arise, 

I. From the removal, to a great extent, if not com- 
pletely, of many of the causes of misery which exist 
in the present day* 

1. Poverty. In looking over the long list of ills 
with which the human family has been afflicted, no 
one can fail to observe that this has been one of the fruit- 
ful sources of much personal and family distress ; and 
very often^ too, of great mental and moral degradation. 
For, amid the distress and humiliation which are often 
attendant on poverty, there has generally been a great 
destitution of the means of mental and moral improve- 
ment ; so that the child of want has often suffered as 
much in his character as he has done in his outward 
circumstances. It has been no unusual thing, there- 
fore, to find the poor cursing God, and putting forth 
their hands to steal* Or if, through the tender mercy 
of God to them, they have not been permitted to run 
to this excess of folly and crime, yet it does not ad- 
mit of a doubt that poverty has greatly aggravated the 

9 



98 HAPPINESS Otf MANKIND 

pressure of all the other ills of life. For where is it 
that disease and death appear in their most affecting 
and pallid form but in the abodes of the indigent? 
And who are the first to feel, and the most to suffer, 
from any general calamity but the poor ? But, in re- 
flecting on this subject, how is it possible to overlook 
the consideration of the causes from which poverty 
has usually sprung? Now, even admitting that the 
hand of God, in the exercise of his sovereignty, has 
sometimes laid this as a judgment on men ; yet, is it 
riot beyond the possibility of contradiction evident that 
it has usually sprung from indolence, imprudence, 
wickedness, or extravagance on the part of the suf- 
ferer himself, or from injustice and oppression on the 
part of others ? But as the principles of the Gospel 
are to form the characters and to guide the actions of 
men during the Millennium, poverty, so far as it 
springs from the individuals themselves, and from 
others, will have entirely disappeared ; and if it should 
ever then visit any of the children of men as a judg- 
ment from God, its pressure will be so alleviated by 
the consolations of the Gospel, and by the sympathy 
and kindness of all around, that it will have lost nearly 
all its distressing features, and will be found emi- 
nently conducive to the perfection of all the Christian 
graces in the soul, and for preparing it for the enjoy- 
ment of the riches of heaven. And how much must 
the happiness of the world be increased above that 
even of the most highly favoured portions of it in the 
present day, when it will not contain a family, or an 
individual, who is suffering from penury or want ! 

2. Losses and disappointments in life. Of these, 
too, it may be remarked, that in some form or other 



DURING THE MILLENNIUM. 99 

they have been the common lot of man ; for no rank 
nor condition in life has been altogether free from 
them. And how much individual and family dis- 
tress has often sprung from them ! And how many, 
through the influence which they have had on their 
spirits and health, have sunk to an untimely grave ! 
Or if such has not been their effect, what affecting 
changes in rank and condition have they often pro- 
duced ! Sometimes bringing down those who rolled 
in affluence and ease, and even swayed the sceptre 
over kingdoms, to a condition of abject dependence 
and precarious subsistence, But during the Millennial 
age such reverses as these will probably never be expe- 
rienced nor witnessed ; for the imprudence, and incon- 
sideration, and the want of due foresight on the one hand, 
and the insincerity and dishonesty on the other, from 
which they have usually proceeded, under the influence 
of religious principle will have entirely disappeared ; 
and wisdom and honour, integrity and kindness, will 
regulate the transactions of all. Now, think of the 
endless forms and degrees in which disappointments 
and losses at present meet us in the various under^ 
takings of life, and the bitterness of soul which usually 
springs from them, and then think of a state of society 
in which these will be utterly unknown — in which the 
pang that is occasioned by blighted hopes, forgotten 
promises, and violated engagements, shall never be felt ; 
and then you can easily conceive what an amazing ac^ 
cession to the happiness of man must spring from the 
absence of this fruitful source of human ill. 

3. Oppressive laws and the wickedness of rulers. Ever 
since nations increased, and pride and ambition began 
to sway the counsels of men, there has been an asto* 



100 HAPPINESS OF MANKIND 

nishing tendency on the part of the rulers and the great 
of a land, to act unequally and oppressively towards 
all that were under them. So that, in place of viewing 
themselves but as so many individuals of a communi- 
ty, they have too often acted as if the community were 
made for them— as if their word were always to be law 
^-and as if the property and lives of all were in their 
hands. And who can tell the tears that have been shed, 
and the misery which has been suffered, from the op- 
pression and wickedness of the kings and rulers of the 
world 1 " As a roaring lion and a ranging bear," — says 
Solomon, Prov. xxviii. 15, " so is a wicked ruler over the 
poor people." And though the language is strong, yet 
it does not go beyond the reality of the case ; for there is 
not a calamity with which man can be afflicted in this 
lower world that has not in innumerable instances 
sprung from this single source. But in those happy 
days, when the principles of the Gospel shall have 
formed the characters, and shall guide the actions of 
all, human rights will not only be well understood, 
but universally respected and upheld; so that, when 
God shall have created Jerusalem a rejoicing, and his 
people a joy, and the voice of weeping shall be no more 
heard in her, unjust laws shall have disappeared, 
and tyranny and oppression shall no where exist. The 
rod of the wicked shall no longer rest upon the lot of 
the righteous ; for it shall be broken never again to be 
repaired. Yea, the oppressor himself, like a potter's 
vessel, shall be dashed in pieces, Yes, the kings and 
rulers of the Millenium, unlike the Caesars and the 
Herods either of the present or past ages, will be dis- 
tinguished for their wisdom and justice, their purity 
and uprightness, and every thing that can adorn ths 



DURING THE MILLENNIUM. 101 

Christian character ; so that, in place of being, as they 
have so often been, curses to their people and to the 
world, they will live and rule but to bless, and by their 
example, influence, and wealth, to be nursing fathers to 
the Church. And when this happy state of things shall 
have been introduced, and " the kingdom, and domi- 
nion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole 
heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of 
the Most High," then all oppression on the one hand, 
and discontent on the other, will have entirely passed 
away. And what an accession will this also occasion 
to the happiness of the world ! 

4. The impiety of relatives and friends. To all 
who allow correct views of eternity, and the insepara- 
ble connexion which exists between our conduct in 
the present world and our condition there, to guide 
their sentiments and regulate their feelings with regard 
to others, nothing can be so distressingas to see open and 
incontestible evidences of impiety in those who are 
connected with us by the tenderest ties. What lan- 
guage, for example, can describe a parent's grief when 
he sees his son or daughter bent only on destruction, 
and every day they live to be only approaching nearer 
and nearer to " the tribulation and anguish, the indig- 
nation and wrath," which will come upon them to the 
uttermost ? Or who can describe the heaviness of heart 
which the pious mother feels when she beholds the down- 
ward course of him whom she has borne, and thinks that 
she has borne him only to be the associate of the unprinci- 
pled and the vicious in this world, and of Satan and his 
angels in the next ? Under the pressure of this an- 
guish, how many a parent's heart has been broken, 
whose gray hairs have at last been brought down with 



102 # HAPPINESS OP MANKIND 

sorrow to the grave. On the other hand, how often 
has filial affection been put to the severest trial through 
parental impenitence and unkindness? And who can 
describe the anguish that has been felt, and the briny 
tears that have flowed, as the dutiful child — ripe, it 
may be, herself for heaven — has surrounded the death- 
bed, or has visited the grave of an impenitent father, 
and the visions of the eternal world have come 
vividly across the mind ? And how agonizing must 
that grief be, which on such occasions can find relief 
only in such pathetic and unavailing exclamations as 
these : — u O had he but died in the faith and hope of 
the Gospel, how gladly could I have parted with him, 
and how joyfully could I have looked forward to my 
own death as certain to lead me to enjoy a father's 
love, and to share a fath r's happiness in heaven ! But 
he died a stranger to the grace of Christ, and therefore 
I can never hope to meet him there !" When the 
friend, too, with whom we have taken sweet counsel 
together in the common intercourse and innocent joys 
of life, dies a stranger to Christ and an enemy to God, 
what a pang does it send to the heart ; for the separa- 
tion which death has occasioned between us, we know 
must be eternal. But during the Millennium, if such 
separations take place at all, the number will be so 
small that they will bear no comparison with those 
that are otherwise ; and in innumerable instances the 
heart of the parent, the child, and the friend will re- 
main a stranger to such anguish as that to which we 
have referred, and be delighted with the well-grounded 
expectation that their union and happiness are such 
as will endure for ever ; and what an accession to 



DURING THE MILLENNIUM. 103 

the happiness of man in the various associations of 
life must this afford ! 

5. The Divine curse on the earth and elements for 
man's sake. Ever since God pronounced the earth 
cursed for man's sake, what care and toil has it cost 
the husbandman to make it productive, except it be in 
thorns and briers. How great a proportion of it also 
still continues barren 1 And what devastations and 
ruin have often been produced by the earthquake and 
the storm? But during the Millennium it would 
seem that much of the curse is likely to be removed, 
and a great deal of the primeval beauty and fertility 
of the earth to be regained. Thus the Sacred Scrip- 
tures represent " the wilderness and the solitary place 
as being made glad, and the desert as rejoicing and 
blossoming as the rose. Instead of the thorn, is to 
come up the fir tree ; and instead of the brier, the 
myrtle ;" the earth is to be " as a field which the Lord 
hath blessed." And then, as the Psalmist has beauti- 
fully described it, " shall the earth yield her increase, 
and God, even our own God, shall bless us ;" that is, 
then, in such abundance as has never hitherto been 
seen, shall the earth yield her increase, and the bless- 
ing of God accompany the efforts of man as. it has 
never done before ; and if we would know when this 
shall take place, he himself has informed us that it 
will be when " all people shall praise him." And so 
great is the difference which will exist between the 
then state of things and that which was before, and 
so happy will the change be, that the prophet says, 
" the former shall not be remembered, nor come into 
mind." But in what form and in what manner this 
change will be produced, it is impossible for us now 



1U4 HAPPINESS OP MANKIND 

exactly to ascertain. Suffice it to say, that it is the 
blessing of the Lord alone that causes the earth to 
bring forth, and to bud, and to bear so that there shall 
be enough for man and for beast. Hence all that is 
necessary in order to realize to its fullest extent the 
glowing language of prophecy on this subject is, that 
this blessing should be communicated in a more abun- 
dant measure. And whenever it is so, more conge- 
nial seasons than those with which we are now 
acquainted may be universally enjoyed, and much of 
the toil that is now necessary, and the anxiety which 
is now felt in agricultural pursuits, and the damage 
which is often sustained in them, will be entirely un- 
known ; so that degrading toil, and alarming catas- 
trophies, and seasons of want be no more the lot of 
man in a present world ; and when this is the case, 
how greatly must its happiness have increased ! 

6. Sickness. In reference to this, also, a vast change 
will no doubt take place throughout the whole world 
during the Millennial age. For in reference to many 
of the diseases with which the human family is at 
present afflicted, as they have their origin either in 
poverty, vice, intemperance, or imprudence, when 
these are removed they will no doubt cease to exist. 
The employments of mankind, too, as they will be all 
such as are compatible with an eminent degree of 
knowledge and piety, will be a great deal more con- 
ducive to health than many which are now followed. 
And if we add to these causes of the diminution of 
disease a superior degree of congeniality, which, in all 
probability, will be communicated to the seasons and 
climates of the earth, and which will render it every 
where more salubrious, there cannot be a doubt that 



DURING THE MILLENNIUM. 105 

the inhabitants of the world will then be far freer from 
disease than we can now well conceive. Nor are we 
without the positive testimony of Scripture that this 
will be the case ; for, in the verse which follows the 
text it is said, " There shall be no more thence an in- 
fant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his 
days ; for the child shall die an hundred years old ; 
but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be 
accursed." That is — so far at least as we have been 
able to comprehend its meaning — deaths in childhood 
and premature old age will then be unknown ; the 
span of life also will be considerably extended ; and 
the evening of their days, in place of manifesting the 
decrepitude and feebleness of old age in the present 
day, will find them vigorous in mind and sound in 
body, and waiting in faith and hope till their change 
come. And when it does come, except in the few 
solitary instances of the sinner, death will be calm 
and peaceful as a summer's setting sun. In conse- 
quence also of the superior degree of piety which all 
will then possess, and the delightful conceptions of 
heaven which all will then form, the mind will entirely 
acquiesce in such dispensations of Providence ; so 
that if a tear be shed over the lifeless remains of the 
relative or the friend, it will be but the tear which 
springs from the overflowings of delight in the heart 
as it thinks on the exaltation and happiness which the 
spirit has reached ; so that the voice of weeping and 
of crying shall no more be heard throughout all lands. 
Who then that thinks on these things can help ex-» 
•claiming — O thrice happy world ! when the sources 
©f the misery with which it is now so much afflicted 



106 HAPPINESS OP MANKIND 

shall have been thus extensively and universally re- 
moved. 

II. From relative and social connexions. Great as 
will be the accession to human happiness by the re- 
moval of the various sources or causes of misery to 
which we have referred, yet it will not be the only 
means by which the greater felicity of that period will 
be effected and secured. God has so constituted us 
as to be dependent for a great measure of our present 
happiness on our relative and social connexions ; and 
these will be found to be then productive of far more 
happiness than now springs from them. And of these, 
the first which claims our attention is, 

1. The conjugal. The glorious and infinitely wise 
author of our nature has declared that " it is not good 
for man to be alone." Hence, with the view of secur- 
ing and enhancing his happiness, he has given us 
the institution of marriage. And who that is aware 
of the innumerable ways in which it contributes to 
the welfare of the individuals who are so connected, 
as well as to the peace and happiness of society at 
large, does not readily acknowledge that the wisdom 
and goodness of God to man are eminently illustrated 
by this single institution. How often is it also used 
as a figure to illustrate the intimate and delightful 
union which exists between God and his people ? How 
many delightful associations have also in and through 
life sprung from it ? Associations, too, which have 
not only enhanced the happiness of this world, but in 
a certain sense even that in the world to come ; for 
there cannot be a doubt that the associations and re- 
lations which have been formed and conducted on 



DURING THE MILLENNIUM. 10? 

earth on the principles of religion, will be found to 
have extended their influence in enhancing even the 
happiness of heaven. But, owing to the imprudence, 
the sinful imperfections of men, and the other causes 
of misery which operate upon us in the present day, 
how often do we find that the objects of this institu- 
tion have either not been attained, or, if they have, it 
has only been in a very limited degree. Piety, it may 
be, has not been regarded in forming it ; its grace has 
not been sought to enable us to perform its duties 
and to sustain its trials ; nor has it been permitted to 
shed its purifying and elevating influence over all its 
joys. Uncongenial dispositions, too, have been often 
united, which have turned its peace into discord, its 
sweets into bitterness, and its joy into sorrow. Infi- 
delity, too, to its obligations, has not unfrequently se- 
vered its union, and put an end to all its happiness ; 
whilst disease and death have either withered or put 
an untimely end to its joys, and have presented us 
with some of the most affecting instances of human 
grief which the world has ever seen. But during the 
happy days of which we speak, the various causes 
which have operated in diminishing the happiness 
which springs from it, will have greatly disappeared ; 
whilst piety will regulate its formation, and purify, and 
elevate, and give permanency to all its joys. And 
what happiness must spring from a union that is so 
intimate, when it is universally formed and conducted 
on such principles, when disease shall have in a great 
measure ceased its ravages — when death shall have 
lost many of his most distressing concomitants — when 
both the husband and the wife shall be rejoicing in 
the hope of the glory of God — and when the blessed- 



lOS liAPfciNEss of* Mankind 

ness of heaven will succeed the happiness which they 
have enjoyed below ! 

2. The parental and filial. These, too, are rela- 
tions which have a most intimate connexion with our 
happiness in a present world. For whilst the world 
lasts, it will be a true saying that u A wise son mak* 
eth a glad father; whilst a foolish son is the hea* 
Viness of his mother." The hnppiness of parents, 
indeed, is so closely connected with that of their 
children, and that of the latter, too, so dependent on 
the former, that they mutually affect each other. And 
what an interesting sight is a happy family circle 
walking in the ways of wisdom, and the whole of 
whose efforts are but to please and to bless ! But how 
often has the parent's heart been wrung with the' bitter- 
est disappointment and anguish by filial disobedience 
or profligacy? And, on the other hand, how often 
has filial happiness been marred by the exhibition of 
parental folly and impiety ? During the happy days, 
however, which await the world, both of these will 
have disappeared ; and parents will every where ex- 
perience the joy which springs from seeing their chil- 
dren walking in the truth ; whilst they will be saved 
the heart-rending distress which invariably flows from 
parental impiety. And when evil example in parents, 
and disobedience and impiety in children, shall cease, 
and when piety will shed her benign influence over 
all the duties and joys of domestic life ; and when 
the family on earth shall exhibit a delightful represen- 
tation of the family in heaven, how greatly will the 
domestic happiness of man have been increased ; and 
what an accession to this most delightful branch of 



DURING THE MILLENNIUM. 109 

the whole happiness of a present state will this occa- 
sion ! 

3. The neighbourly and friendly. On these con- 
nexions also, our happiness is not a little dependent. 
For when all around us live in the exercise of all the 
kind affections, and obliging and courteous attentions 
which the Gospel enjoins, it is delightful to dwell 
among them. But, on the other hand, when nothing 
but strife and ill-will prevail, how unpleasant is it ! 
But when religion forms the characters, and regulates 
the dealings of man with man, these will disappear, 
and all will dwell together in harmony and love, in 
the exercise of mutual esteem, and free from jealousy 
and envy. Individual interests, too, will then never 
be pursued to the injury of those of others, or of the 
general good. On the contrary, a due and benevolent 
regard to the welfare of the whole will enter into all 
plans and all undertakings ; and the principle which 
has been so long acted upon — " Let every man do the 
best he can for himself," will be discarded as at vari- 
ance with the principles of the Gospel, and with its 
kind and ' benevolent spirit. The friendships, too, 
which will then be formed, will be of a purer nature, 
and of greater strength and permanency than those of 
the present day ; for they will be all formed with a 
view to piety and eternity, and to the promotion of 
one another's spiritual welfare and usefulness. The 
duties of friendship will also be regularly and faith- 
fully performed ; and in the very performance of 
them, the soul will experience the highest satisfaction 
and delight. Now, when the various cities, and towns, 
and villages of the world shall contain a population 
so united and kindly affectioned one to another, how 

10 



110 ijAPPtNESS OF MANKIND 

much must the happiness of man be increased ! For 
every thing in the shape of injustice and unkindness, 
and even of coldness in feeling, and of distance in 
manners, will have disappeared, and all will dwell to- 
gether as brethren and fellow-heirs of the grace of 
everlasting life. 

III. From the greater possession and enjoyment of 
every thing which constitutes the true happiness of 
man. 

1. Mental vigour and moral purity. Ever since 
man fell, he has sadly mistaken the sources of his 
happiness ; and one grand error which almost all have 
committed with regard to it, has been, that they have 
sought it without in place of within themselves. Hence 
outward good, and the gratification of some of the 
low passions of our depraved nature, have appeared as 
if they were adorned with ten thousand charms ; 
whilst mental and moral excellence have been greatly 
neglected. But what is it that constitutes the true 
superiority of one man above another ? Not his out- 
ward circumstances, but his intellectual and moral 
character. And the man that is greatest in this re- 
spect, will always be greatest in happiness, and in the 
estimation of Him who looketh not on the outward 
appearance, but on the heart. Owing, however, to 
the operation of sin and disease, and the other causes 
of misery which exist in the present day, there cannot 
be a doubt that the mind is greatly enfeebled from 
what it would otherwise be, so that its energies are 
soon exhausted ; and it is rare, indeed, that it reaches 
to any eminent degree of vigour, so as to take a wide 
or full range in the various departments of knowledge 
which are laid open before it. Moral excellence, too, 



DURING THE MILLENNIUM. Ill 

at least to any great extent, has been but seldom at- 
tained. The standard of obedience has been low, and 
the character of most even of the people of God has 
been exceedingly defective; and hence their happi- 
ness has been also very limited and fluctuating, But 
in the days of the Millennium, the mind will be found 
to have participated largely in the happy change 
which will have taken place. Its vigour and capacity 
will likely be far greater than in the present day ; 
whilst, through the superior degree of holiness which 
it will have attained, it will be freer from the causes 
of distraction, and be admirably fitted for seeking and 
enjoying its happiness in God. And just in propor- 
tion as it does this, and rises above the low and gro- 
velling pursuits which have for so long a period occu- 
pied the chief attention of man, just so will it rise in 
the scale of happiness, and act in unison with its high 
and eternal destiny. And as moral principle will pre-! 
side over and direct the exercise of all its powers — and 
as the great adversary of man will then have no in- 
fluence over it, every accession to its capacity will be 
also an accession to its happiness, whilst every thing 
around it will conspire to facilitate its progress ; and 
when this is the case, it is impossible to conjecture to 
what intellectual and moral heights men may reach 
even in a present world. 

2. Knowledge, and opportunities and leisure for 
cultivating it. Of all the sources of happiness, so far 
at least as this world is concerned, with which we are 
acquainted, there are none which can be compared 
with knowledge. Hence, intellectual pursuits, if they 
are under the direction of moral principle, and con- 
nected with moral objects, have never failed to impart 



112 HAPPINESS OF MANKIND 

to the mind the highest delight. Now, whatever 
doubts, if any can be entertained, as to some parts of 
the Millennial felicity, there can be none in reference 
to this. For, in reference to the most exalted of all 
knowledge — that which leaves all other branches infi- 
nitely behind it — we mean the knowledge of God — it is 
to cover the earth as the waters do the channel of the sea, 
so that all shall know him, even from the least to the 
greatest. Yes ; ignorance of God, and of Jesus, and 
of the plan of salvation, will be banished from the 
world. And when the Holy Spirit is poured out in his 
Millennial fulness, and the Bible is in the hands of all 
men, and is made the subject of constant study, how 
vastly superior is the knowledge of Millennial believers 
likely to be above ours, particularly as it relates to 
practice and experience? The comfort and leisure, 
too, which all will then enjoy, will be eminently con- 
ducive to intellectual pursuits ; and as science will 
then be the handmaid of religion, so all its discoveries 
and illustrations, while they expand the mind, will 
tend also to elevate the moral character ; as they will 
throw a richer glory around Him who is seen, and 
studied, and enjoyed in all things. The knowledge 
of all ages will also then be concentrated into one ; 
and as its value will then be much more justly appre- 
ciated, so the facilities for acquiring it will be much 
greater than have ever existed before. Yes; perish 
what may amid the shaking of the nations which is 
still future, the art and the labours of the printer never 
will. In place of this, as the thirst after knowledge 
will have astonishingly increased, so the demand for 
the means of gratifying it will be proportionably great. 
For, let it be recollected, it is the World that will then 



DURING THE MILLENNIUM. 113 

be enlightened, and holy, and happy ; and that will 
be advancing with unparalleled rapidity in the pro- 
gress of knowledge and piety. Every branch, too, of 
knowledge will be eagerly cultivated ; and when the 
sages and divines of the Millennium are the teachers, 
what sublimity and accuracy of thought, and bril- 
liancy of illustration, may not be expected from them ; 
and what a flood of holy light from the heights of 
Zion, and the halls of literature and science, will then 
be poured on the world ! And how happy must all 
then be, who enjoy such privileges, and have reached 
such attainments ! 

3. Religious exercises. These, too, are another 
source of our purest and most elevated joys ; as they 
bring us into the closest union with Him, who is the 
Father of our spirits and the author of every good 
and perfect gift, — as they draw out into exercise every 
holy affection of the soul — and as they bring to us all 
our spiritual supplies. As to the exercises of the Mil- 
lennial Church, there is every reason to believe that 
they will be the same as to kind as those of the present 
day. The great difference will be in the worshippers 
themselves — the superior degree of spirituality of mind 
which they will have attained — and the frequency of 
their approaches unto God. The closet will be more 
frequented — the Scriptures will be more earnestly 
searched — prayer will be a frequent exercise — and the 
voice of praise will be frequently heard in the habita- 
tions of the righteous. Social religious exercises 
among families and friends will also likely form part of 
every day's employment and happiness. But, of all 
the days of the week, the Sabbath will still possess the 
pre-eminence. And how holy and delightful will its 

10* 



114 HAPPINESS OF MANKIND 

exercises be, when all hearts will be eminently adapt- 
ed to them, and will be longing and thirsting after 
God ? The Sabbath then will not be a weariness, nor 
will its services be a toil or a burden. Cold hearts, 
and lifeless frames, and cases of spiritual desertion, 
will also in all probability have disappeared from 
among the righteous, so that they will be always joy- 
ful, and prepared for . communion with God. How 
solemn, thoughtful, and engaged will every worship- 
ping assembly then be ! How near to heaven will all 
feel themselves to be — and how much of heaven's hap- 
piness will then be enjoyed, when all are worshipping 
God in spirit and in truth, and when every heart is 
filled with his love ! In place, then, of longing for the Sab- 
bath to be gone, and its exercises to close, that we may 
hurry to the farm or to merchandise, like the three 
chosen apostles who beheld the transfiguration of our 
Lord, they are more likely to linger around the sacred 
spot, and to long for the Sabbath in the skies. Yea, 
such will be the delight which the soul will experience 
in the exercises of devotion and communion with God, 
that nothing will satisfy it but an eternity of both, 
when its "days of praise shall ne'er be past, while life, 
and thought, and being last, or immortality endures." 
4. The gracious presence and blessing of God. 
These are doubtless the spring of all our happiness ; 
for without them no exercise can be blissful, nor any 
situation be calculated to make us truly happy. Now, we 
have every reason to believe that the enjoyment of the 
gracious presence of God will then be the happy lot of 
all his people. They will continually walk in the 
light of his countenance, and go on from strength to 
strength, till each of them shall appear before him in 



DURING THE MILLENNIUM. 115 

glory., His blessing too, which maketh rich and add- 
eth no sorrow, will continually rest upon them, and 
upon all that they have — upon every work of their 
hands, and upon every possession of their happy lot ; 
so that the voice of weeping and of crying shall no 
more be heard among them ; for God will have created 
Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy, and he 
will rejoice in Jerusalem, and will joy in his people. 
The days of their mourning will be ended, and all that 
will be necessary to complete their happiness will be the 
unveiled vision of heaven, and the more intimate fel- 
lowship of God, of angels, and of the spirits of the 
just made perfect. 

In closing this sketch of the general happiness of 
man during the Millennium, how delightful is it to 
think, as we reflect on the present misery of the world, 
that its worst days are past, and its best all to come. * 
Yes, the darkest part of the night of its oppressions and 
sorrows is ended, and the dawn of its brightest days, 
like the golden rays of the rising sun seen on the 
mountain's top, may already be discovered. May every 
day as it passes witness it shining brighter and bright- 
er, till the night shall be wholly past, and the day-star 
arise in every heart throughout this wide world. But, 
that this may soon be the case, let us all. my beloved 
brethren, come up to the help of the Lord, to the help 
of the Lord against the mighty. For, in order that the 
glory and happiness of the Millennium may be intro- 
duced, we must all strive to help it forward in the use 
of every appointed means for diffusing abroad the 
knowledge of the Gospel, and for bringing all within 
our reach to the obedience of the faith. Parents should 
do this with the greatest ardour and delight, in contri- 



116 HAPPINESS OF MANKIND, ETC. 

buting to the various efforts that are being made for 
purifying the Church from her errors — for raising her 
from her lethargy — for sending the Gospel to every 
nation under heaven ; and, above all, in endeavouring 
to raise the religious character and practice of their 
children far beyond that of the present day. For 
it is just in proportion as we see the rising gene- 
ration becoming more holy, and more devoted, that we 
see the indisputable evidence of the approach of the 
Millennium. To the young, too, this subject should 
be one of peculiar interest and delight. For on them 
will soon devolve all the efforts that are necessary to 
be made, and all the responsibilities in connexion with 
them in order to carry on the Church to her Millen- 
nial glory and happiness. Let the young members 
of the Church in particular be entreated to lay this 
matter very seriously to heart, and let each with the 
prophet be led to say—" For Z ion's sake will I not 
hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not 
rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as bright- 
ness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burnetii." 
And then when you rest from your labours, it will be 
in the enjoyment of the happy conviction that, in 
serving your God, you have served your generation ; 
and also with the delightful prospect that your descen- 
dants will be among the happy number from whom 
the voice of weeping and of crying shall be no more 
heard. " May God be merciful unto us, and bless us, 
and cause his face to shine upon us ; that his way 
may be known upon earth, his saving health among 
all nations. O let the nations be glad, and sing for 
joy. Let the people praise thee, God ; yea, let all 
the people praise thee." 



PREACHING INSTRUMENTAL, ETC. 117 



DISCOURSE VII. 

PREACHING THE GOSPEL, THE INSTRUMENTAL 
MEANS BY WHICH IT IS TO BE INTRODUCED. 

Mark xvi. 15. Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to 
every creature. 

Having in our previous discourses directed your 
attention to the leading features of the Church, and of 
the general happiness of mankind during the Millen- 
nial age, we come now more particularly to consider 
the means by which this great and happy change is 
to be effected. Now, as this change, so far as the 
character of man is concerned, is of an intellectual and 
moral nature, and as it is to be produced through human 
instrumentality, the means for producing it must evi- 
dently be adapted to it, and be such as men can uni- 
versally bring to bear on the whole human family ; 
for if there is no adaptation in the means to the end, 
or if the means are such as man cannot use, so far as 
he is concerned, the end of course can never be reached. 
But blessed be the God of all our mercies that, since 
it has pleased him to employ human agency in ex- 
tending his spiritual kingdom over the world, the 
means which he has appointed them to use are of the 
most simple nature, and at the same time of the most 
powerful efficacy — requiring the operation of no cum- 
bersome machinery of man's wisdom, nor any expen- 



118 PREACHING INSTRUMENTAL 

sive display of human wealth or grandeur ; but merely 
the exhibition and enforcement of Divine truth as the 
channel through which the Holy Spirit operates on 
the minds of men. Yes, all that is necessary is the 
preaching of the glorious Gospel of the grace of God 
to the nations, and by this simple but powerful instru- 
ment, the prey will in due time be taken from the 
destroyer of man ; for though " the weapons of our 
warfare are not carnal but spiritual, yet they are ne- 
vertheless mighty through God to the pulling down 
of strong holds, casting down imaginations, and every 
high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge 
of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to 
the obedience of Christ." 

The words of the text, as you are well aware, con- 
tain the command of our risen Lord to his disciples 
for evangelizing the world. Before this, their exer- 
tions were confined entirely to their fellow-country- 
men ; but now the world was to engage their attention, 
and to be the field of their labours ; and till every 
knee on earth shall have bowed down, and confessed 
Christ as Lord to the glory of the Father, this com- 
mand will never cease to be binding on all his follow- 
ers. According to this command, the only means 
which man is to use for gaining this universal con- 
quest of the human heart, is preaching. Yes ; like 
himself, his ministers are to be only the heralds of 
mercy, and the only weapon which they are to wield 
in their conflicts with the God of this world is the 
Gospel. And wherever this is presented in purity 
and truth to the understanding and heart of man, it 
will never be left wholly without the testimony of the 
Spirit ; and whenever he is poured out in his fulness. 



IN ITS INTRODUCTION. 119 

nothing shall stand before it. Nations shall be born 
as in a day ; and the glad shouts of an astonished and 
praising world shall universally be heard, saying, 
" Now is come salvation and strength, and the power 
of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever." 

Our object on the present occasion is to consider 
the universal preaching of the Gospel, as the means 
for introducing the Millennium. And in directing 
your attention to this subject, we shall consider, 1st, 
What it is to preach the Gospel. 2d, The adaptation 
of this as an instrument for enlightening and convert^ 
ing the world. 

I. What it is to preach the Gospel. In order that 
we may understand what this is, it is necessary that 
we first ascertain what the Gospel is ; for, until we 
have a full and distinct idea of this, we can never un- 
derstand what it is to preach it. Now, in its most ap- 
propriate signification Ave remark, that it means merely 
" good news, or good tidings." And if we would know 
what these are, we have only to attend to the angelic 
message to the shepherds in Bethlehem, contained in 
Luke ii. 1Q, 11, " Fear not, for behold ! I bring you 
good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people • 
for unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a 
Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." In its original ap- 
plication, then, we perceive that it refers merely to the 
incarnation and birth of Christ. But in a more en- 
larged sense, it is used to signify the whole system of 
Christianity ; every part of which is necessary to be 
believed and brought into practice in order that it may 
have its legitimate and designed influence over us. 
This is evidently its signification, when the great 
Apostle of the Gentiles says that he was " separated 



120 PREACHING INSTRUMENTAL 

unto the Gospel of God" — meaning not merely that he 
was set apart to announce to the world the birth of 
the Saviour, but also to, teach the whole system of god- 
liness. And this, we apprehend, is its precise significa- 
tion in the text. And in order that we may perceive 
how well, in this enlarged sense of the term, the Gos- 
pel is adapted to accomplish the object for which it is 
appointed, let us view it, 

1. As to its disclosures concerning the nature and 
character of God. These subjects, it may be remark- 
ed, are of the very first importance to man ; as they 
regulate all his sentiments both with regard to the 
past, the present, and the future, and give a character 
to all his hopes and fears. Now, in reference to these, 
the disclosures of the Gospel are not only fuller and 
more distinct than what are to be gained from all 
other quarters, but they possess a grandeur which is 
altogether peculiar to themselves. Under the Old 
Testament dispensation, though God made himself 
known, both by express revelations and by many 
transcendent works, yet even these fell short, both in 
point of clearness and fulness, of the New Testa- 
ment disclosures. Thus, in the simple announce- 
ment that u God is a Spirit," it throws more light 
on the essence of Deity than had ever been thrown 
before. Its testimony, too, as to a Trinity of per- 
sons in the Godhead, is so full and complete, that 
it is impossible to set it aside without our exalting 
our own wisdom above that of God. How indescriba- 
bly glorious also is the character with which it sur- 
rounds him in the work of Redemption ? The very 
plan itself it represents as a manifestation of his mani- 
fold wisdom, inasmuch as it shows how that God can 



IN ITS INTRODUCTION. 121 

be just, whilst at the same time he is the justifier of 
him who believeth in Jesus. In the execution also of 
this plan, through the gift and sufferings of his own son 
for us, he has given a manifestation of his love, with 
which nothing, either in heaven above or on earth 
beneath, can be compared. And what an illustration of 
his infinite holiness, inflexible justice, and unbending 
faithfulness to his threatenings, have we in the vica- 
rious sufferings and atoning death of his well beloved 
son? How affectingly do they show us that he 
cannot let the guilty go unpunished, and at the same 
time sustain the moral government of the universe ? 
But when the sacrifice for sin is his own son in the 
likeness of man, and he appears as laying the iniquity 
of us all upon him, and as ready "with him freely to 
give us all things," how indescribably rich does he ap- 
pear in goodness and mercy to this fallen world ? Un- 
der the Old Testament dispensation, much of this 
might, no doubt, be discovered in its various typical 
sacrifices and ceremonial observances ; but it is in the 
Gospel they appear with unveiled splendour, and the 
whole character of God is set forth so as to impress 
with awe, animate with hope, and inspire with love. 
Yes, 

" In the grace which rescued man, 

His brightest form of glory shines j 
Here in the Cross 'tis fairest drawn, 

In precious blood and crimson lines. 
Here his whole name appears complete J 

Nor wit can guess, nor reason prove, 
Which of the letters best are writ, 

The power, the wisdom, or the love." 

So that if we would see the nature and character 

11 



122 PREACHING INSTRUMENTAL 

of God fully illustrated, we must study him as he is 
revealed in the Gospel, which is here commanded to 
be preached to every creature. 

2. As a revelation of mercy to the whole family of 
man. Under the Old Testament dispensation, to the 
believing and spiritually-minded Jew, the mercy of 
God was no doubt clearly revealed through his vari- 
ous types and shadows. But then it was mercy which 
seemed to be partial in its manifestation, as it had a 
more particular reference to him and his nation than 
it had to the rest of mankind. But now, under the 
Gospel, the middle wall of partition which separated 
the Jew from the Gentile is broken down. Every 
thing in the shape of peculiar privilege is done away, 
and God appears " rich in mercy unto all that call 
upon him ;" for the good tidings which it brings are 
designed not merely for the Jew, but " for all people." 
It is on this account that the salvation of the Gospel 
is styled " the common salvation," inasmuch as it is 
bounded by no particular localities, but is to make the 
circuit of the globe, and is to be offered alike freely, 
without money and without price, unto all. Like the air 
which we breathe, and the light which shines around 
us, it is the common privilege of man. For "the 
Spirit and the Bride say, come ; and let him that hear- 
eth, say, come ; and let him that is athirst, come ; and 
whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." 
And it is this universality of privilege and adaptation 
that is ir the Gospel, which lays the foundation for the 
command in the text ; and were it not for this, its dis- 
tinguishing feature, it could not be the common remedy 
for the guilt and misery of man. So that, however diver- 
sified in point of character and guilt the various tribes 



IN ITS INTRODUCTION. 123 

and kindreds of mankind may be, the Gospel, and the 
Gospel alone, meets their case ; for " Christ is the pro- 
pitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also 
for the sins of the whole world," as " God hath set 
him forth a propitiation through faith in his blood," 
with this gracious and full assurance that " his blood 
cleanseth from all sin." Hence the apostles, when 
they describe "the ministry of reconciliation" with 
which they were entrusted, represent it thus, " God is 
in Christ reconciling the world unto himself;" and 
hence, too, in the commission of the text, it was ht all 
the world" that they were enjoined to contemplate as 
the field of their exertions ; so that wherever they 
went, whether it was among the dwellers in the far 
distant East, or among the polished nations of ancient 
Greece and Rome, they had but one message to com- 
municate, namely, that " God was in Christ reconcil- 
ing the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses 
unto them ;" and wherever, without one solitary ex- 
ception, this message was believed, it was " the power 
of God unto salvation." Hence the Jew and the 
Greek, the Barbarian and the Scythian, the bond and 
the free, might, in multitudes of instances, be seen 
partakers of a common hope, and rejoicing in the 
prospect of a common inheritance in the heavens. 
And though eighteen centuries have rolled away since 
then, the Gospel has lost none of its distinguishing 
and glorious peculiarities. It is still — and whilst the 
world lasts, it will ever be — the revelation of the mercy 
of God to the whole family of man. In his sight all 
are regarded as alike lost, and as alike precious ; and 
to all, whatever be their rank, or condition, or kindred^ 



124 PREACHING INSTRUMENTAL 

or colour, he offers the same remedy and the same 
heaven. 

3. As a rule of duty. Christianity, viewed as a rule 
of duty, lays down by far the simplest, fullest, and 
most sublime system of moral action which the world 
has ever seen ; for by placing — as it does — the foun- 
dation of all acceptable obedience in the state of the 
heart towards God, and not merely in outward con- 
duct, it places it on an immoveable and universal basis, 
applicable alike to all men, and incapable of fluctua- 
tion or change. By taking cognizance of the senti- 
ments, desires, and affections of the soul, it vastly ex- 
tends the range of our views of moral obligation, and 
leads us to keep the heart, as well as our outward con- 
duct, right with God. With inimitable simplicity, un- 
erring certainty, and a wisdom which no one can call 
in question, it also assigns to all their appropriate 
place, and their due measure of regard. Thus, to 
God, as a matter of course, it gives the first, the su- 
preme, and the constant regard of the heart and life ; 
and tells us that, " whatsoever we do, whether it be 
eating or drinking," we are to do it to his glory; 
whilst to the whole family of man it prescribes a rule 
of action which no one can be at a loss to under- 
stand, nor find any difficulty to comply with, if they 
have only the incliuation to regard it — " Therefore, all 
things whatsoever ye would that men should do to 
you, do ye even so to them, for this is the law and the 
prophets," This may be regarded as its fundamen- 
tal principle for regulating the general intercourse of 
man with man. Or should it descend to particulars, 
with the same degree of precision, and with the same 
weight of authority, it assigns to all ranks, and condi* 



IN ITS INTRODUCTION. 125 

tions, and relations of men, their respective dues—to 
kings and rulers as well as subjects ; to rich as well 
as poor ; to husbands and wives ; to parents and chil- 
dren ; to masters and servants ; to young and old ; to 
all it points out their appropriate duties ; so that there 
is not a situation in which we can be placed, nor a 
station that we can fill, but it lays down the principles 
of action by which we are to be guided in it. These 
principles of action are also of universal application to 
man, in whatever climate, and under whatever form 
of civil government he may be placed. And by ap- 
pealing to the eye of omniscience as constantly search- 
ing the heart, and to the irreversible awards of the 
eternal judgment, it brings us under the influence of mo- 
tives which no other system can present to us, and gives 
a sublimity to our actions which nothing else can im- 
part. And in reference to all the statutes of the Lord, 
may we not with David affirm " they are right, rejoic- 
ing the heart ; the commandment of the Lord is pure, 
enlightening the eyes ; the fear of the Lord is clean, 
enduring for ever ; the judgments of the Lord are true 
and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they 
than gold, yea, than much fine gold ; sweeter also than 
honey and the honey-comb. Moreover by them is thy 
servant warned, and in keeping of them there is great 
reward." Such then is the Gospel in its most extended 
signification, which is appointed as the great moral 
means for enlightening and savingjthe world, and which 
is to be preached for this purpose to every creature 
under heaven. And having directed your attention to 
the Gospel itself, let us now consider, 
II. The adaptation of this as ail instrument for en- 

!!• 



126 PREACHING INSTRUMENTAL 

lightening and converting the world. In order that we 
may illustrate this, we remark, 

1. The truths, and mercies, and precepts of the Gos- 
pel are just what the world needs. Though much evi- 
dence of the being and perfections of God may no 
doubt be derived from his works, and a considerable 
measure of knowledge of our duty may also be ob- 
tained from the unperverted dictates of conscience, yet 
owing to the universal and total depravity of the hu- 
man mind, it is wholly indisposed to improve these ; so 
that man, when left to himself without Revelation, is uni- 
versally without all correct knowledge of him, in his be- 
ing, perfections, and purposes concerning us ; and as the 
consequence of this j "God," as the Psalmist expresses it, 
" is not in all his thoughts," so that he has no reference 
to him in his actions, in his hopes, or in his fears ; and 
thus he lives without him, and dies also far off from him, 
laden with iniquity, and a vessel fitted for destruction. 
But when we think of the disclosures of the Gospel — the 
infinitely important truths which it reveals, and truths, 
too, which can be learned from no other source — the in- 
valuable mercies which it offers to man as lost — and 
the simple, spiritual, and perfect rule of duty which it 
lays down, how admirably adapted is it as an in- 
strument for enlightening and converting the world ! 
As the darkness is past, and the shadows flee away 
wrien the sun arises on our world, so when the Gospel 
sheds its light on the understanding, and transfuses its 
grace into the heart, the ignorance, impurity, and mi- 
sery of man are gone — the lost are found — the wan- 
derer is reclaimed — and he who was formerly afar off 
from God, is now made nigh by the blood of Christ, 
and rejoices in hope of the glory of God. The life, 



IN ITS INTRODUCTION. 127 

4 

too, in place of being 1 stained with every crime, is now 
adorned with " good works, which God hath before 
ordained that we should walk in them." Now all this 
the world universally needs. Its ignorance and errors 
of God need to be removed and corrected; and its 
limited views of his character, government, and pur- 
poses, need to be expounded. A Saviour is what it 
requires, or it must perish for ever ; and just such a 
Saviour as the Gospel offers, and just such an offer of 
him, freely, without money and without price, as it 
makes of him ; and just such a rule of duty as it en- 
joins, extending to all our relations, and stating with 
a clearness which cannot be mistaken, and which frees 
us from all doubt and uncertainty as to what it is that 
the Lord our God requires of us, and containing nothing 
but what all the human family, in whatever clime they 
may dwell, can easily obey. In the truths, therefore, 
which the Gospel reveals — in the Saviour which it 
offers—and in the rules of conduct which it prescribes, 
it exactly meets the ignorant, the sinful, and miserable 
condition of man wherever we find him. 

2. The preaching of the Gospel is admirably adapt- 
ed to gain the end in view. In order, however, that 
we may see this, it is necessary that we should briefly 
refer to the general state of mankind who yet remain 
to be converted. Now, is it not beyond all contro- 
versy certain, that by far the greatest portion of them 
are so grossly ignorant as to be unable to read a single 
letter of any language ; whilst many more of them are 
so unsettled in their modes and habits of life, that they 
must be sought out before the Gospel can reach them ? 
The languages of the earth, too, are so numerous, and 
in general so difficult of acquisition, that nothing short 



128 PREACHING INSTRUMENTAL 

of a residence among the people by whom they are 
spoken, can enable us to acquire them. Besides all 
this, even admitting that the Bible could be translated 
into all the languages of the world, and be freely cir- 
culated through every heathen country, considering 
their gross ignorance and awful wickedness, what a 
length of time would inevitably elapse before they 
could be expected to understand it? In cases, too, 
without number, their superstitions, and the influence 
of the established priesthood, would doubtless effectu- 
ally prevent it from being read. But when its glad 
tidings are announced, its truths communicated, and 
its precepts explained by the living voice of the preach- 
er, the attention of all is called to the subject — a multi- 
tude of minds may be acted upon at once— the dis- 
course, too, will be adapted to the state of the people 
— the illustration will be varied, so as to remove their 
ignorance and obviate their objections — the glories of 
the Cross will be so described as to lead them to feel 
its attractions — and the whole concentrated force of 
the truth as it is in Jesus, will be brought to bear on 
the understanding, the conscience, and the heart, till 
the soul shall yield itself to God. As the preacher, 
too, will be " a living epistle of Christ," the holy de- 
sign, and tendency, and practicability, and excellence, 
of the religion of Jesus, will be presented in living 
characters before them ; and as example is always 
more efficacious than precept, this will doubtless have 
a powerful influence in bringing them to the know- 
ledge and obedience of the faith. Converts, too, have 
to be baptized — Churches have to be formed, and 
watched over, and the ordinances have to be adminis- 
tered to them, and " faithful men" have to be trained 



IN ITS INTRODUCTION. 129 

up for the ministry, " who shall be able to teach others 
also," and carry on still farther the work of conversion 
and the edification of the saints. But how can all this 
be effected without the preaching of the Gospel by the 
living voice ? With it, however, the word of the Lord 
cannot but have free course, run, and be glorified, till 
all the ends of the earth shall be brought to see the 
salvation of God. 

3. It has been eminently blessed in the present, 
and in all preceding ages for the conversion of sinners. 
Without calling in question the gratifying fact that 
some, yea, even many, may have been converted 
through the simple reading of the Scriptures, or works 
in which their principles are explained and enforced ; 
yet is it not beyond all doubt the preaching of the 
Gospel which has been most generally and most ex- 
tensively blessed for the winning of souls to Christ ? 
What was it, for example, that gained the vast multi- 
tudes of nominal followers to Christ, but preaching, in 
connexion with his miracles ? What was it that, on 
the day of Pentecost, gained such an accession to the 
infant Church, but the simple preaching of Peter and 
the rest of the Apostles 'I What was it that led to the 
formation of all the Churches of which we read in the- 
Acts of the Apostles and Epistles, but the same means 
and the same instrumentality? And as it was this 
means which was principally blessed in Apostolic 
days for the conversion of souls, so it has continued 
down to the present day. And just in proportion as 
it has been faithfully adhered to, and the principles of 
the Gospel have been exhibited and enforced in all their 
native clearness and importance, just so do we find 
that, as a general rule, sinners have been converted, 



130 PREACHING INSTRUMENTAL 

and believers edified and built up in their most holy 
faith. And so dependent does the Church seem to be 
on this, as the means of its growth and stability, that 
wherever it has been either partially or totally laid 
aside, religion has never failed wofully to suffer, whilst 
the impenitent have become more and more careless 
about their souls' concerns, and daring in their ini- 
quity, till their downward course has ended in ever- 
lasting destruction. Indeed, so long as " faith cometh 
by hearing, and hearing by the word of God," just so 
long — which will be to the end of the world — will 
preaching be found to be the principal means, so far 
as human instrumentality is concerned, which God 
will bless for the conversion of sinners and the edifi- 
cation of the Church. 

4. It is the Divinely appointed means for accom- 
plishing this end. As the Father, the Son, and the 
Holy Spirit had agreed on the salvation of our world, 
various means might easily have been thought of and 
appointed, by which it might have been accomplished. 
But of all the ways by which it might have been ef- 
fected, God has been pleased to appoint only one, and 
that is, the mediation of Christ, by which the guilt of 
the world has been atoned for, and the preaching of 
the Gospel, through which the influences of the Holy 
Spirit are communicated to the souls of men. " Go 
ye" — said the ascending Saviour to his disciples — 
" into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every 
creature." And ever since this Divine command was 
given, "it has pleased God by the foolishness of 
preaching to save them that believe." And as God is 
" the only wise God," who can doubt that this means, 
as an instrument, is of all others the best adapted for 



IN ITS INTRODUCTION. 131 

accomplishing the end in view ; and in the proper 
and universal use of it, who can doubt the success of 
the Gospel? It is true, indeed, that in all ages 
" Christ crucified, and the preaching of the Cross," 
have appeared foolishness unto many ; yet, after all 
the sneers that an ungodly world has cast upon them, 
they are the only means of its salvation, and possess 
in them a power before which all opposition, whether 
it come from wicked men or from hell itself, will 
ultimately be compelled to flee. And when Christ 
and him crucified are preached in all lands; and 
when the holy and peaceful ministers of the Cross can 
teach all " in their own tongue the wondrous works 
of God ;" then, doubtless, " will be heard voices in hea- 
ven, saying, The kingdoms of this world have become 
the kingdoms of God, and of his Christ, and he shall 
reign for ever and ever." 

By way of improvement, may we not remark, 
1. What an invaluable blessing is the preaching of 
the Gospel. In our preceding remarks we have seen 
that it is the Divinely appointed means for winning 
souls, and for building them up in our most holy faith, 
and which has been in all ages eminently blessed for 
these important objects. And what objects can be 
compared with these, so far as our best interests for 
time and eternity are concerned ? And these invalu- 
able blessings, through the riches of Divine goodness, 
you have long enjoyed, and still continue to enjoy ! 
Amongst the various kindreds of the human race, 
what an enviable lot is yours when contrasted with 
that of those on whose darkened minds no ray of the 
Sun of righteousness has yet shone, and to whose ears 
none of the glad tidings of the Gospel have ever yet 



132 PREACHING INSTRUMENTAL 

been conveyed ? But how important is the inquiry, 
in connexion with the possession of the Gospel, — 
Have you improved or are you improving it ? For, 
let it be ever so valuable in itself, its value to us de- 
pends entirely on the use we make of it. What use, 
then, are we making of it 1 Is it to bring us to God 
and to Christ — to establish us in the faith — to carry us 
on our way increasing in spiritual strength, fruitful- 
ness, and meetness for that holy and happy world, in 
which the ordinances of the Gospel will be no longer 
needed ? My fervent prayer for you all is, that it may 
be made " a savour of life unto life, and hot of death 
unto death ;" and that " the God of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the 
Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of 
him ; the eyes of your understanding being enlight- 
ened, that ye may know what is the hope of his call- 
ing, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance 
in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of 
his power to us ward who believe, according to the 
working of his mighty power, which he wrought in 
Christ when he raised him from the dead, and set 
him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far 
above all principality, and power, and might, and 
dominion, and every name that is named not only in 
this wor\d, but also in that which is to come ; and 
hath put all things under his feet ; and gave him to 
be the head over all things to the Church, which is 
his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all." 

2. Let us proceed in the use of this, as the means 
for the conversion of the world, with the fullest confi- 
dence of success. When the Christian talks of con- 
verting the world by the preaching of the Gospel, the 



IN ITS INTRODUCTION. 133 

enterprise in the eyes of many appears quite as ridicu- 
lous as that of David when he went to the conquest 
of Goliah with nothing but a sling and a stone. The 
mass of ignorance, of superstition, and impurity is too 
great, say they, ever to be removed by such means. 
And were there nothing in, or co-operating with the 
Gospel, beyond the simple letter of its announcements, 
the remark would no doubt be true. But little do 
they who reason in this manner know of the power 
which accompanies it, and of the efficacy which it 
has when accompanied by this power, to gain atten- 
tion and to change the heart. When the prophet 
Ezekiel was carried by the Spirit into the valley that 
was full of dry bones, and commanded to prophecy 
unto them, how foolish must this exercise have ap- 
peared unto the wisdom that is only of this world ; 
yet it was in the very act of prophesying that " there 
was a noise, and a shaking, and the bones came toge- 
ther, bone to his bone ; and that the sinews and the 
flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them 
above." And when, in obedience to the Divine com- 
mand, he prophesied again, saying, " Come from the 
four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain 
that they may live," it was then that he saw " breath 
come into them, and they lived, and stood up upon 
their feet an exceeding great army." Now this is 
precisely an illustration of the efficacy of the preach- 
ing of the Gospel ; for, though man is employed in 
communicating it, yet it is the word of God, who has 
created the human soul with all its powers of thought, 
of desire, and of action, and has appointed and adapted 
the Gospel as a means for operating upon it, in order 
to draw out its powers into proper exercise ; and who 

12 



134 PREACHING INSTRUMENTAL 

has promised to be with his servants always, even to 
the end of the world, to give efficacy to it as the 
means for enlightening and saving the soul. Of his 
faithfulness to his promise, and of his ability also to 
fulfil it, we have the testimony of the innumerable 
multitude of the redeemed during eighteen centuries ; 
a testimony, too, that is every day increasing, both in 
magnitude and strength. When we therefore employ 
the preaching of the Gospel as the means for enlight- 
ening and converting the world, let us do so as if, 
through the promised blessing of God, we felt confi- 
dent of success. For as the want of confidence in 
the success of an enterprise never fails to enfeeble 
exertion, so it will be lamentably the case in all our 
efforts to evangelize the world, if we do not firmly 
believe that " the weapons of our warfare, though not 
carnal, but spiritual, are yet mighty through God to 
the pulling down of the strong holds of Satan." And, 
animated with this conviction, the heralds of the 
Prince of Peace may fearlessly go forth into the dark- 
est and most frowning regions of the empire of the 
God of this world ; for he, who is with them, is 
mightier far than all that can be against them ; and 
great is the truth of God, and it must and it will 
prevail. 

3. How strong is the obligation under which we 
are laid, to use every effort to have the command of 
the text carried fully into execution. What an affect- 
ing reflection, in connexion with this subject, is it, 
that eighteen centuries have rolled away since the 
command of the text was given by Christ to his fol- 
lowers, and still by far the greatest portion of the 
world is yet without the Gospel ! And as we think 



IN ITS INTRODUCTION. 135 

of the many millions of immortal souls which are still 
in heathenish darkness and sin, surely each of us 
should say, it is full time that the apathy of the Church 
with regard to this matter were entirely shaken off. 
Let us then, my dear Brethren, never more forget the 
command of the text, for it is as binding upon us as 
it was on the Apostles who received it ; and whilst 
duty bids, and gratitude prompts, and mercy and 
compassion invite us to send the Preachers of the 
Cross even to earth's remotest bounds, let us endea- 
vour by our pecuniary contributions, our prayers, and 
direct exertions, to have the means in some measure 
adequate to the attainment of the end, that many may 
run to and fro through the earth, and the knowledge 
of the Lord be increased till all nations shall be blessed 
in Christ, and all shall call him blessed. 



136 JUDGMENTS INTRODUCTORY 



DISCOURSE VIII. 



JUDGMENTS WHICH ARE TO BE POURED OUT ON 
THE KINGDOMS OF THIS WORLD, AS INTRO- 
DUCTORY TO THE MILLENNIUM. 

Heb. xii. 26, 27. Whose voice then shook the earth ; but now he hath 
promised, saying, yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also 
heaven. And this word — yet once more — signifieth the removing 
of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that 
those things which cannot be shaken may remain. 

These words, in their retrospective allusion, have 
doubtless a reference to the glorious appearance of 
the Deity on mount Sinai, when a the earth shook, the 
heavens also dropped at the presence of God, and even 
jSinai itself was moved at the presence of the God of 
Israel ;" and when his voice made every heart to 
tremble and quake. By the prophet Haggai, we learn 
that God, in order to encourage the faith and hope of 
his people amid all their discouragements on their re- 
turn from the Babylonish captivity, promised to "shake 
the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry 
land ; yea, to shake all nations, and the desire of all 
nations should come ;" and it is doubtless to this pro- 
mise that the inspired writer of this Epistle refers in 
the language of the text. Nor can there be a doubt 
that it was especially fulfilled by the advent and suf- 
ferings of the Son of God ; for by these there was an 
end made of all the ceremonial observances and typi- 



TO THE MILLENNIUM. 137 

cal sacrifices for sin ; and as He had come, to whom 
Moses in the law and all the prophets had borne wit- 
ness, so the whole of the Jewish economy was re- 
moved, or laid aside, as an institution that had served 
its purpose, and was no longer of any use ; whilst its 
place was supplied by the New Testament dispensa- 
tion, as an institution that is to last till this system of 
things shall come to an end. But though God may 
then be considered, in an eminent degree, to have 
shaken the heaven and the earth, yet we apprehend 
that the shaking referred to is to be regarded more in 
the light of a continued process than as accomplished 
by a single act or event ; and will never cease till eve- 
ry thing that obstructs the universal triumph of the 
Gospel shall be removed out of the way. And as the 
language evidently implies the overthrowing of na- 
tions and kingdoms through the operation of Di- 
vine judgments, it may well assist us in directing our 
attention to a consideration of the subject which is 
now to come before us ; namely, The judgments which 
are to be poured out on the kingdoms of this world; as 
introductory to the Millennium. 

In directing your attention to this subject, let us 
consider : I. The certainty that the Millennium will 
be preceded by fearful judgments. II. The nature of 
these judgments. III. The effect which they will 
produce. 

I. The certainty that the Millennium will be pre- 
ceded by fearful judgments. After having contempla- 
ted the beautiful picture of holy and universal happi- 
ness which is presented to us in the prophetic descrip- 
tions of the Millennium, it is with regret that we turn 
away to the consideration of scenes of judgment md 

12* 



138 JUDGMENTS INTRODUCTORY 

wo. But the reference to such scenes in connexion 
with the introduction of it, are so strong and decided, 
that it is impossible to overlook them in any thing pur- 
porting to be an illustration of this important subject. 
Thus, by the prophet Micah it is said, that Christ, pri- 
or to the nations beating their swords into plough- 
shares and their spears into pruning-hooks, "shall 
judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations 
afar off." And when the prophet Isaiah speaks of the 
same period, he says, " With righteousness shall he 
judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek 
of the earth ; and he shall smite the earth with the rod 
of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he 
slay the wicked." In the 24th chapter, too, where 
he seems to represent the result of this process of 
judgment, he gives us the most affecting account of it. 
"Behold!" says he, "the Lord maketh the earth 
empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside 
down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. 
The earth mourneth and fadeth away; the world 
languisheth and fadeth away; the haughty people 
of the earth do languish. The earth also is dis- 
solved under the inhabitants thereof, because they 
have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinances, 
and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath 
the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell 
therein are desolate ; therefore the inhabitants of the 
earth are burnt, and few men left." "And it shall 
come to pass in that day that the Lord shall punish 
the host of the high ones that are on high, and the 
kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be 
gathered together as prisoners are gathered in the pit, 
and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many 



TO THE MILLENNIUM. 139 

days shall they be visited." In the 26th and 66th 
chapters also, he gives us an affecting account of the 
fearful severity of these judgments, when he repre- 
sents God as saying — " Come, my people, enter thou 
into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee ; 
hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the 
indignation be overpast. For behold ! the Lord Com- 
eth out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the 
earth for their iniquities ; the earth also shall disclose 
her blood, and shall no more cover her slain. For 
behold ! the Lord will come with fire, and with his 
chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with 
fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire, 
and by his sword, will the Lord plead with all flesh, 
and the slain of the Lord shall be many." When the 
prophet Daniel also refers to these days, it is in the 
same style of affecting description. Thus, says he, 
" At that time shall Michael stand up, the great Prince 
who standeth for the children of the people, and there 
shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since 
there was a nation, even to that same time ; and at that 
time shall the people be delivered." Nor is the lan- 
guage of John in the Revelation less bold and terrific. 
" And I saw," says he, " three unclean spirits resem- 
bling frogs, go forth unto the kings of the earth, and 
the whole world, to gather them to the battle of the 
great day of God Almighty. And there was a great 
earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the 
earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And 
the great city was divided into three parts, and the 
cities of the nations fell, and great Babylon came into 
remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of 
the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And every 



140 JUDGMENTS INTRODUCTORY 

island fled away} and the mountains were not found. 
And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, 
every stone about the weight of a talent ; and men 
blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail ; for 
the plague thereof was exceeding great." Now, what 
can be meant by all this terrific imagery of battles, and 
thunders, and lightnings, and earthquakes, and the 
fall of cities, and the flight of islands, and the removal 
of mountains, and the tremendous storm of hail, every 
stone of which is represented as weighing upwards of 
one hundred and thirteen pounds, but overwhelming 
judgments, by which God will sweep every thing be- 
fore him ? And as to the time when all these things 
shall take place, the believer in the testimony of him 
who is the Faithful and True witness, can be at no loss 
to ascertain ; for the Apostle John is very particular 
in fixing it to the time when the seventh angel, who 
is represented as the last messenger of wrath to this 
guilty world, shall have poured out his vial into the 
air ; and no sooner are its contents exhausted, than 
the purity, peace, and glory of the Millennium begin 
to prevail. The time, too, that is assigned by Daniel 
for " the trouble such as never was since there was a 
nation," is that which will immediately transpire be- 
fore the ingathering of the Jews ; an event which is 
uniformly represented as taking place just at the com- 
mencement of the Millennium. The testimony, too, 
of the prophets Isaiah and Micah, is no less precise 
and definite as to this point ; so that, however dis- 
couraging the prospect is, there cannot be a doubt that 
direful and desolating judgments yet await the world 
— judgments which all ranks shall feel, and which 
shall prostrate all human greatness and human oppo- 



TO THE MILLENNIUM. 141 

sition in the dust. For it is the controversy, or the 
day of vengeance of God Almighty with the inhabit- 
ants of the earth, for having transgressed the laws, 
changed the ordinances, and broken the everlasting 
covenant. And when it is God who is contending 
with man, and is making every thing in heaven above 
and on earth beneath as an instrument of his ven- 
geance, how distressing beyond present description 
must then be the situation of men ! Having thus as- 
certained the melancholy certainty of these judgments, 
let us now consider, 

II. The nature of them. 

1. War, with all its concomitant evils. Of all the 
calamities with which the world has been afflicted, 
there is no one that has been such a scourge to man 
as this ; for it may be regarded as containing almost 
all other ills in itself. Hitherto, also, mankind in ge- 
neral have manifested an awful recklessness in rush- 
ing into it ; and from the description which John 
gives us of " the three unclean spirits going forth unto 
the kings of the earth, and the whole world, to gather 
them to the battle of the great day of God Almighty, n 
it would seem as if this is to be regarded as the mas- 
ter judgment which God will pour out on the nations. 
War, many have loved and followed as a profession ; 
and it would seem as if God designed to give them 
their heart's desire of it, that the spirit of war may 
thus work itself out. For so long as it exists in the 
human heart, and is permitted to appear in the coun- 
cils and transactions of nations, the peace and happi- 
ness of the Millennium can never be introduced. 
Hence the war which John describes as still future, 
is one of vast extent and the most tremendous conse- 



142 JUDGMENTS INTRODUCTORY 

quences ; for not only are " the kings of the earth," 
meaning thereby the kings who have given their power 
to the beast — that is, their support to Antichrist — but 
" the kings of the whole world" are to be gathered to- 
gether to it, that is, by their respective armies. And 
as to the character of the combatants and the nature 
of the contest, this description of John may also help 
us, we apprehend, to form a very correct opinion ; for 
the classification of the prophet leads us. to contem- 
plate, on the one hand, all the abettors of Antichris- 
tian usurpation, corruption, and political tyranny, and 
the friends of truth and freedom on the other. And 
as to the nature of the contest, it seems to be a decided 
and avowed trial of the strength of both parties ; the 
former, aided by all the power and remaining influ- 
ence which Satan may be permitted to put forth, will 
contend not only for the ascendency over their op- 
ponents, but for their very existence ; whilst the lat- 
ter, aware of the spirit and designs of the former, and 
that there can be no true liberty nor peace to the 
world so long as they are permitted to exercise any 
influence over it, will be inspired with the most de- 
termined resolution to crush their power, and that for 
ever. And as this will be the last contest between the 
confederated powers of darkness and light, and of ty- 
ranny and liberty, and the last struggle which Satan 
will be permitted to make in order to sustain his fall- 
ing kingdom in this world before the introduction of 
the glory of the latter days, we may rest assured that 
it will be one of awful fury ; so that the nations 
whose boundaries will form the principal scene of this 
contest, will realize the melancholy description of the 
prophet Isaiah — " Therefore hath the curse devoured 



TO THE MILLENNIUM, 143 

the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate ; 
therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burnt, and 
few men left." But amid such wide-spreading deso- 
lation as this, who can describe the distress which will 
be experienced, the sufferings which will be endured, 
and the crimes which will no doubt be perpetrated 1 
Distress, too, and sufferings which will fall on all 
ranks and all ages ; for, unlike many of the previous 
manifestations of judgment, by which the poor and 
industrious have been the principal sufferers, this is to 
fall with overwhelming fury on the heads of the great. 
For, says the prophet, " It shall come to pass in that 
day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high 
ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon 
the earth. And they shall be gathered together as 
prisoners are gathered together in the pit, and shall be 
shut up in the prison, not to be visited till after many 
days." So that their day of calamity will then have 
come — theirloity looks will be humbled — their haughti- 
ness will be bowed down — and their honour will be 
laid prostrate in the dust. As the beast, too, to which 
they lent their power will no longer exist, so their 
influence among the nations will also have passed 
away; and the influence, political and religious, among 
all nations, be in the hands of the saints of the Most 
High. 

2. Judgments immediately from the hand of God. 
In the passages which we have already quoted from 
several of the sacred writers in order to prove the 
certainty that tremendous judgments will precede the 
introduction of the Millennium, it is stated, in addition 
to war, " That the Lord will come with fire, and with 
his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with 



144 JUDGMENTS INTRODUCTORY 

fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire ;" and that a 
storm of hail, whose stones are to be the weight of a 
talent, is also to fall upon men. But whether these 
expressions are to be taken in their literal sense has 
been doubted. We can see, however, no valid reason 
for supposing that they may not. For why may not 
God pour out then on his obstinate enemies, and the 
obstructers of the universal triumphs of the Redeemer, 
his judgments of fire and of hail, as well as he did on 
Sodom and Gomorrah, and on the armies of the five 
kings who came out to oppose Joshua and the host 
of the Lord ? For a long time, it may be, that he has 
pled with them by his word and Providence, but they 
refused to listen to his voice, and to lay down the 
weapons of their rebellion against him ; then, how- 
ever, the season of mercy will be past, and he will 
plead with them, as the prophet expresses it, " by fire 
and by his sword ;" so that the contest, so far as they 
are concerned, will not be merely with their fellow- 
men, but with the Lord God omnipotent who reigneth. 
And when they are thus opposed by fire and hail from 
above, and by the victorious armies of the friends of 
truth and the liberties of men, how vain will it be for 
them to cherish a hope of escape ! How certain and 
awful will be their destruction ! And how evident 
will it appear that it is the Lord's controversy, and not 
man's ; and that he has come, as it were, out of his 
place to shake terribly the earth, that every thing 
which should not be in it may be removed out of the 
way, in order that that, which is never to be shaken, 
may be universally established. These considerations, 
therefore, as well as others which might easily be 
stated, have confirmed us in the opinion that, in addi- 



TO THE MILLENNIUM. 145 

tion to the human agency which will be employed in 
connexion with the judgments to which we have re- 
ferred, there will be special manifestations of Divine 
interposition in the destruction of his enemies, and in 
the protection of his people and his cause. 

IIL The eiFect which they will produce. 

1. Vast multitudes of the wicked will be cut off by 
them. It is rare, indeed, that the righteous are men of 
blood or of war ; and if in any case they are so, it 
arises more from the untoward circumstances in which 
they are placed, than from the tendency or operation 
of their principles. The wicked, however, are gene- 
rally turbulent, and always ready to take the lead in 
all scenes of civil commotion which may at any time 
occur. This has been particularly the case in all the 
contests which have arisen out of opposition to the 
progress of the Gospel and the best interests of man, 
and will be particularly so in the last grand struggle 
for supporting the kingdom of darkness. For as this 
is to be a struggle not merely for, victory, but for ex- 
istence, Satan will no doubt muster all his forces ; so 
that among the number of the slain will be found a 
vast multitude of those who have long been the abet- 
tors of ignorance, tyranny, oppression, and wickedness, 
in every form and degree. And as these are the 
world's, as well as the Church's worst enemies, in 
getting rid of them what an advantage will it be for 
the best interests of man ? And though it is exceed- 
ingly distressing to think of the destruction of the 
wicked, yet when we think of their obstinacy in op- 
posing the Divine will and the triumphs of the Gospel, 
and the lamentable consequences which have often 
sprung from their example, the mind cannot but ac- 

13 



146 JUDGMENTS INTRODUCTORY 

quiesce in it as just and necessary, since they would 
rather rush on the thick bosses of the Almighty's 
buckler, than submit to the offers of his mercy. So 
far, therefore, as the obstinate enemies of our God and 
of his Christ are concerned, these judgments seem to 
be intended to sweep them away as with the besom of 
destruction, and to leave the world to the holy and 
peaceful followers of the Lamb. 

2. Things which are opposed to the best interests 
of society will be removed. As the wicked them- 
selves will be cut off, so the various systems and 
schemes of inequality and injustice, of which they 
were the supporters, will, as a matter of course, cease 
to exist. And as the judgments are to fall with pe- 
culiar weight on " the host of the high ones, and on 
the kings of the earth" — the parties who have been 
in general the great corrupters and oppressors of the 
world — so corruption and oppression, which have often 
sunk the poor to the greatest wretchedness, and ground 
them to the dust, will disappear ; and every thing 
which has militated against the best interests of the 
whole will be for ever laid aside. Communities will 
then be left their affairs by the wisest and best of laws ; 
and institutions and customs which have been inimi- 
cal to the improvement of the mind and the well-be- 
ing of man, will be rooted out. Among things of this 
nature, which might easily be enumerated, we may 
mention that overweaning attachment to wealth and 
worldly greatness which has hitherto exercised such 
a baneful influence over the minds of men, has been 
the great cherisher of pride in the human bosom, and 
the principal support of that unnatural and unchris- 
tian distance which has been so extensively kept up 



TO THE MILLENNIUM. 147 

between man and man. But as the judgments are to 
fall with fearful severity on the wealthy and the great, 
they will thus be effectually taught the lesson which 
they have so long needed to learn, namely, that 
wealth and worldly greatness are of no real value in 
the sight of God, and that they can ward off no ca- 
lamity from man when he has to contend with God, 
This example, particularly when it is supported by 
the principles of the Gospel, will doubtless produce a 
complete revolution in men's minds on this subject, 
and lead them to see that it is intelligence and piety 
alone which raise a man in the estimation of heaven ; 
and hence we may naturally expect that their atten^ 
tion will be principally directed to the attainment of 
this as a treasure which can never be taken from 
them. 

3. Every facility will be afforded for the dissemina- 
tion of Divine truth. As despotic governments, and 
all tyrannical combinations to hinder the progress of 
the Gospel and the general advancement of the world 
in knowledge and piety will have been completely de- 
stroyed, so the heralds of the Gospel will have unre- 
stricted access to the various nations of the earth ; and 
as their zeal will then doubtless keep pace with their 
opportunities of usefulness, and as the value and ne^ 
cessity of the Gospel in order to secure and promote 
the welfare of man will then be better understood 
than ever they have been, so multitudes more than 
have ever yet gone forth will doubtless go forth to 
communicate its heavenly truths, and to offer its in- 
estimable blessings to the fallen and prostrate nations. 
The Church will then come fully up to the help of 
the Lord, and her wealth will be poured into his 



148 JUDGMENTS INTRODUCTORY 

treasury, so that there, will be no lack of means for sup- 
porting every wise and Divinely appointed plan for 
scattering abroad " the seed of the kingdom." Kings, 
too, and the rulers of the nations having now seen the 
folly and impiety of opposing God, will readily lend 
their influence to help on the triumphs of the Re- 
deemer, being now fully persuaded that it is righte- 
ousness alone which exalteth a nation. And when 
this is the case, aided, too, as it doubtless will be, by the 
special blessing of the Lord, how rapid and extensive 
beyond all precedent will be the progress of Divine 
truth ! This will appear still more certain when we 
consider, 

4. Men of every condition and rank will be brought 
into a state of mind well adapted for leading them to 
embrace the Gospel. The Prophet Isaiah, when he 
refers to the effect to be produced by the judgments to 
which we have directed your attention, remarks that 
" the lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the 
haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the 
Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day 
of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is 
lifted up, and he shall be brought low. And in that 
day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols 
of gold which they made, each one for himself to wor- 
ship, to the moles and to the bats, to go into the clefts 
of the rocks and into the tops of the ragged rocks ; for 
fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, 
when heariseth to shake terribly the earth." Now, in 
such a state of mind, and whilst under such humilia- 
tion, how well disposed are they likely to feel to the of- 
fers of mercy which the Gospel brings to them ! In 
the days of their pride and prosperity they may have 



TO THE MILLENNIUM. 149 

lent a scornful ear to the voice of the preacher, or like 
Felix, have sent him away with an evasive reply to 
his earnest and tender entreaties ; but now, when the 
hand of God is upon them, and they have learned 
the vanity of their idols, and all the refuges of lies 
to which they may have fled for succour, they will 
gladly sit at his feet, and drink in with the utmost 
avidity the lessons of heavenly wisdom, and the offers 
of redeeming love and mercy which he brings from 
that God whose fury they had by their crimes en- 
kindled against them. How true will it appear to 
them that the Gospel is " glad tidings of great joy to 
all people ; : ' and that they who reject it, are sinning 
against their own souls, and bringing on themselves 
swift destruction ! And how readily, may we not 
suppose, will all who may be left from the desolations 
which they have witnessed, comply with the gracious 
invitation of the Saviour to come to him that they may 
be saved, and be reconciled through him to their of- 
fended God, and be made heirs of everlasting life in 
the heavens. In place of regarding the Gospel any 
more with indifference, they will appear a wonder to 
themselves that they should ever have disregarded or 
rejected it; and trie inquiry will be heard from all 
quarters — " Men and brethren, what shall we do to be 
saved V So that, in place of having occasion to take, 
up the complaint of the prophet — " Who hath believed 
our report ?• or to whom has the arm of the Lord been 
revealed ?" the joyful and astonished inquiry of the 
Church will be — " Who are these that fly as a cloud, 
and as doves to their windows V Hence, among the 
first fruits of the Millennium, will likely be many of 
those whom God may have spared from his judgments 

13* 



150 JUDGMENTS INTRODUCTORY 

to make trophies of his grace, and to sing the praises 
of Him whose name shall be continued as long as the 
sun, and who shall have dominion from sea to sea, 
and from the river to the ends of the earth, and whose 
kingdom shall never be removed. 

Improvement. 1. This subject shows us, that though 
the Millennium is the most delightful subject of con- 
templation to which we can direct our attention, yet 
we cannot look forward to it without the mingling 
emotions of grief and delight. To see sinners reject- 
ing the Gospel for themselves, and opposing its progress 
around them, is always an affecting sight; but to 
think of whole nations being so completely under the 
influence of this feeling, and so furious in their oppo- 
sition to the Gospel as that they must be in a great 
measure cut off by the judgments of God before it 
can have free course, run and be glorified, is indeed 
distressing. But so it is. For if they will not submit 
to him who is King of kings and Lord of lords, from 
the convictions of his truth and a sense of duty, "He 
will speak to them in his wrath, and vex them in his 
sore displeasure, and dash them in pieces like a pot- 
ter's vessel." And when he thus arises out of his 
place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their 
iniquities, what fearful desolations will he no doubt 
occasion ! And, as in the judgments of Egypt and of 
the Red Sea, so how vain will they who are the sub- 
jects of them find it to be to attempt to contend with 
God ! When we therefore look forward to the distress 
of nations, and the days of evil which are before us, 
who can think of them without heartfelt grief on ac- 
count of the misery which will spring from them, and 
the impenitence and obstinacy of men, which render 



TO THE MILLENNIUM. 151 

them necessary? But, as in the natural world, when 
a tempest is past the heavens appear in greater bright- 
ness and purity than they did before it commenced, so 
will it be then in the political and moral world ; and 
when God shall have poured out the last vial of his 
wrath, it will be to sweep away its remaining evils, 
and to remove out of the way every thing that hin- 
ders the triumphant reign of righteousness and truth 
over the whole earth ; so that when the tempest is 
past, the world will enter on its long rest of a thousand 
years from suffering and wo. Though the cloud, 
therefore, be dark, yet, aided by the light of prophecy, 
let us look through it, and beyond it, to the holy and 
peaceful days which, will assuredly succeed the pour- 
ing out of its contents, and let us keep our minds in 
perfect peace, being stayed on the Lord God omnipo- 
tent who reigneth. 

2. Let us prepare for this season of judgment by 
breaking off our sins by righteousness, and removing 
every thing out of the way which hinders the progress 
of the kingdom of Christ. As all the judgments of 
God are the fruit of sin, and as their design and ten- 
dency are to take away sin, so the only way by which 
they may be averted is to turn from our iniquities, 
and to walk in the ordinances of the Lord our God. 
And though the scene of the judgments which we 
have been considering is likely to be the Catholic 
countries of Europe, as their object evidently is to de- 
stroy the remaining powers and adherents of Anti- 
christ, yet there is probably no country that is in any 
way connected with them that will entirely escape 
having a share in them. And as that share is likely 
to be just in proportion as they will be found contri- 



152 JUDGMENTS INTRODUCTORY, ETC. 

buting to the support of " the man of sin," how im- 
portant is it that the government and inhabitants of 
this happy land should keep themselves as free as pos- 
sible from all connexion with him ! For if we would 
not share in the plagues which are to befal him, we 
must not bear his superscription, but be found earnestly 
contending for the faith which was once delivered to 
the saints, and striving for the conversion of the world 
to Christ. And as many of his adherents are finding 
their way to this country, and wherever they go are 
faithful to his cause, and the bigotted opposers of every 
thing that is connected with the best interests of man, 
the friends of truth, if they would be faithful to the 
cause of the Redeemer, and preserve their descend- 
ants from being entangled in their destruction, must 
be indefatigable in their exertions to scatter far and 
wide throughout the land the seed of that kingdom 
which is not to be moved ; and to hand down to their 
children, unimpaired in its purity and power, the Gos- 
pel of the grace of God. If this is done, though we 
or they may hear of the clashing of arms, and the fall- 
ing of nations, and the heaps of the slain on the hos- 
tile field, yet, like the lightning which flashes and 
the thunder that roars at a distance, in this land, which 
has been sanctified by the prayers and blessed by the 
institutions of the Pilgrims, it may do us no harm. 
At any rate, whatsoever others may do, let us be faith- 
ful unto death, and we shall then obtain a crown of 
life. 



EFFUSION OF HOLY SPIRIT, ETC. 153 



DISCOURSE IX. 



AN ABUNDANT AND UNIVERSAL EFFUSION OF THE 
HOLY SPIRIT IS TO PRECEDE AND INTRODUCE IT. 

Joel il 28. And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out 
my Spirit upon all flesh. 

Having in our previous discourses endeavoured to 
describe the nature and certainty of the Millennium, 
and the instrumentality by which it is to be introduced, 
we eome on the present occasion to direct your atten- 
tion to one of the most important and sublime subjects 
which can engage the attention of man ; namely, the 
agency of the Holy Spirit in directing in the use of, 
and giving efficacy to, the means which have already 
fallen under our consideration. Now, though we have 
no reason to believe or expect that in the Millennial 
effusions of the Spirit there will be any visible signs or 
tokens of his presence, such as were given on the day 
of Pentecost at the commencement of the fulfilling of 
the prophecy of this text, yet as he has immediate ac- 
cess to the mind, and can make it feel, in the effects 
produced on it, that he is there, and when these effects 
are universal and simultaneous in vast multitudes ad- 
jacent to one another, each will be to each a living 
manifestation of his agency, whilst all will be wonders 
to one another of what God hath wrought. And as 



154 EFFUSION OF HOLY SPIRIT 

in the natural world around us we may daily see in- 
numerable proofs of Divine agency, either in the pro- 
duction or upholding of all things ; so the agency of 
the Spirit will then be as universal in the minds of men, 
and the evidences of it will be as clearly discoverable 
in the holy and happy change which will be produced 
in their character and circumstances. Formality and 
deadness will be gone, and the profession of piety with- 
out the reality will be unknown in the Church. Alt 
will be living epistles of Christ ; and the world will 
have become, under the agency of the Spirit, one vast 
temple of prayer and of praise unto God. The moun- 
tains of difficulties, which every where in the present 
day obstruct the progress of the Gospel, having been 
removed, and "the dry bones" having been every 
where prophesied unto, the Spirit will enter into them, 
and they will every where stand up an exceeding 
great army. What a glorious manifestation, then, of 
Divine agency will this work every where exhibit ; and 
how well worthy is it, though still future, of our most 
serious consideration ! In directing your attention to it, 
we may consider : I. The necessity of the agency of 
the Holy Spirit, in order to the production of religion 
in the soul. II. The certainty that his influences will 
be communicated in a degree adequate to the produc- 
tion of the Millennium. III. The manner in which 
these influences will operate. 

I. The necessity of the agency of the Holy Spirit, 
in order to the production of religion in the soul. 
That genuine piety is not now natural to man, and 
that the whole world is, and ever has been, since the 
fall of our first parents, in a state of revolt from God, 
is so obvious as to render all formal proof of it quite 



TO PRECEDE AND INTRODUCE IT. 155 

superfluous. The proofs of them, indeed, are so nu- 
merous and clear, and they meet us at every age, and 
in every avenue and condition of life, that we have 
only to open our eyes upon them to see that the whole 
world is guilty before God, and far off from him by 
reason of its sins. But here the great question natu- 
rally presents itself to the inquiring mind — How, or by 
what means is it, that piety is produced in the soul ? 
Is it within the power of the individual himself, or any 
system of mere external operation, to produce it? 
Now, on this subject, the unerring and full testimony 
of Scripture is quite decided and explicit Thus, with 
all the weight of its Divine authority, it declares that 
"the carnal mind" — that is, the natural mind — "is en- 
mity against God ;" and that "it is not subject to the 
law of God, neither indeed can be." That is, that 
subjection to the law of God, so far as its own ability is 
concerned, in consequence of this enmity against God, 
is a moral impossibility. And unless we admit that this 
is the case, we can see no meaning in the inquiry of the 
prophet — " Can the Ethiopian change Jiis skin, or the 
leopard his spots? Then may ye also do good that 
are accustomed to do evil." Jer. xhi. 23. It is to the 
same subject of moral impotency that Job also refers 
when he asks, "Who can bring a clean thing out of 
an unclean ? Not one." These Scriptural quotations, 
to which many others might be added of similar im- 
port, referring as they do in the most decided terms to 
this subject, must certainly be admitted to place the 
opinion altogether out of the question, that religion is 
produced in the soul by the will, or the unassisted 
power of man. 

But some may, perhaps, be ready to say, that the 



156 EFFUSION OF HOLY SPIRIT 

use of the means of grace, and the corrective visitations 
of Providence, are of themselves sufficient to produce 
it. Laying aside for a moment the consideration of 
the testimony of Scripture on this point, do we not find 
that it is contradicted by the universal observation and 
experience of the past as well as the present age? 
For a hundred years, at least, Noah was a preacher of 
righteousness ; but though he proclaimed the coming 
Deluge, and set the people around him the example of 
preparing for it, and exhorted them to repentance, yet 
we have no evidence that he was the instrument of 
converting a single soul from the immense population 
of the world. Pharaoh and the Egyptians also be- 
held the mighty signs and wonders of God ; yet not 
one of them seems to have had his heart changed to* 
wards the Lord God of Israel. And how soon did the 
ancient people of God themselves — notwithstanding all 
the manifestations of Deity which they had wit* 
nessed and experienced in their own behalf— forget 
and forsake the Lord who was their rock, and seek 
after the gods of the nations around them ! And how 
clearly does their future history also prove, that no 
course of external discipline, nor degree, nor variety 
of religious privileges, can change the heart towards 
God. For to them pertained the adoption, and the 
glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, 
and the service of God, and the promises ; yet these 
were the very persons who despised, and rejected, and 
crucified the Son of God ; and that, too, even after 
they had heard his inimitable instructions, and seen 
his many and stupendous miracles. And how often 
since then has the minister of the Gospel, even after 
the most faithful exhibitions of the Gospel, been com- 



TO PRECEDE AND INTRODUCE IT. 157 

pelled to take up the lamentation of the prophet as his 
own, and say, " Who hath believed our report, and to 
whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed ?" But 
were it in the power of any external means to produce 
a saving change in the state of the soul, how can we 
account for this universal failure of them, when not 
accompanied by the agency of the Holy Spirit? But, 
turning away from 'these views, let us very briefly con- 
sider the doctrine of Scripture on this very important 
subject ; and after having carefully examined every 
passage which bears upon it, we shall find it impossi- 
ble to state this doctrine more clearly than in its own 
language. Thus, " Except a man be born again, he 
cannot see the kingdom of God." In other words, be- 
fore he can enter the kingdom of God, he must be the 
subject of a complete change. Nor is its testimony, 
with regard to the agent who produces this change, 
less explicit. For its declaration is, " Except a man be 
born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the 
kingdom of God f and hence all who are the subjects 
of this change are said to be " born, not of blood, nor 
of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of 
God ;" John iii. 5. — i. 13. As the result or conse- 
quence of this " new birth," the enmity of the natural 
mind against God is removed ; it is enabled to believe in 
Jesus, and is said to be "the temple of the Holy Ghost." 
The various graces, too, of the Christian character, are 
said to be his fruits ; Gal. v. 22, 23. Whilst all the 
ability of the believer to perform duty, to resist tempta- 
tion, and to persevere to the end, is ascribed to his be- 
ing " strengthened with might by the Spirit in the in- 
ner man." Thus, the commencement, the preserva- 
tion, and the progress of piety in the soul, are all at- 

14 



158 EFFUSION OF HOLY SPIRIT 

tributed to the agency of the Spirit of God. Not, 
however, that this agency operates on the soul with- 
out the use of means, but that the means without it 
will never be effectual for changing us from darkness 
to light, and turning us from Satan to God. The 
doctrine of Scripture, then, on this subject, evidently is 
this ; that every believer in Christ is the subject of a 
complete change in the moral state ©f his soul, and that 
this change is produced by the agency of the Holy 
Spirit upon it. Having thus ascertained that such is 
the doctrine of Scripture, let us consider, 

II. The certainty that his influences will be com- 
municated in a degree adequate to the production of 
the Millennium. In our preceding discourse we have 
already seen that the Gospel of the kingdom is to be 
preached among all nations for a witness unto them ; 
and that thus the way of the Lord is to be made known, 
and his saving health among all nations. Now, in 
exact accordance with these arrangements, and to 
give efficacy to it, God declares in the language of the 
text that he " will pour out his Spirit on all flesh." 
Now, that we may fully understand what is meant by 
the phrase M all flesh," we have only to recollect its 
application in the account which God gives of the 
state of the world before the flood, when he says, that 
"all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth." 
That he there means the whole family of man, with 
the solitary exception of Noah and his family, there 
cannot be a doubt. When he therefore says that he 
will pour out his Spirit on all flesh, are we not to 
understand it in the same extensive meaning, with 
here and there a solitary exception ? Nay, farther ; 
•when we are told that " all the earth shall worship 



TO PRECEDE AND INTRODUCE IT. 159 

him. and shall sing unto him," and that " all shall be 
blessed in Christ— all nations shall call him blessed," 
is it not evident that this is the only meaning of which 
the language is susceptible ? For worship him, and 
sing unto him, in the sense of the passage, they 
cannot, unless the Holy Spirit renew them in the spi- 
rit of their minds, and give them a heart to know 
him ; and blessed in Christ they cannot be, unless the 
Spirit take of the things of Christ, and show them 
unto them. 

We are well aware that the Apostle Peter, in the 
explanatory account which he gives of the effusion of 
the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, says, " This is that 
which was Spoken by the prophet Joel — And it shall 
come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour 
out of my Spirit upon all flesh ;" but the only meaning 
of which this language is susceptible is, that that was 
the beginning of the fulfilling of this promise ; not 
that that effusion of the Spirit completely exhausted 
it, or fulfilled to its ultimate extent the purpose of 
God concerning the redemption of the world, but 
that a commencement was then made of those effu- 
sions of the Spirit which have respect to the whole 
family of man, and which will increase, in place of 
ceasing, till " all the ends of the world shall remember, 
and turn unto the Lord, and all the kindreds of the 
nations shall worship before him." Not only, how- 
ever, are we thus clearly taught that the whole world 
is to be the scene of the Spirit's operations, but that 
these operations are to be far more powerful, and 
continued unrestrained throughout a longer period 
than the Church has ever yet been favoured with 
them. Thus God himself, in order to communicate 



EFFUSION OF HOLY SPIRIT 



some idea of their copiousness, says, "I will pour 
water upon him that is thirsty, and. floods upon the 
dry ground." On the day of Pentecost, and in some 
subsequent periods of the primitive Church, and in 
the early period of the Reformation from Popery, and 
during many of the happy revivals of religion which 
have occurred since then, there cannot be a doubt 
that this gracious promise has been illustriously ful- 
filled. The period, however, of the continuance of 
them has been in general short, and such visitations 
have been by no means the common lot of the Church ; 
but, during the long period of the Millennial age, they 
are to be her common and universal privilege. And 
when he will come down, not merely as the rain, nor 
as the drops of the morning dew, but in such copious- 
ness as to resemble " floods," we can be at no loss to 
account for the eminent degree of piety which is re- 
presented as then every where prevailing. Yes ; when 
the Spirit is thus poured out from on high, then 
"shall the wilderness become a fruitful field, and the 
fruitful field be counted for a forest ; and they shall 
spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water 
courses." 

III. The manner in which they will operate. They 
will operate, 

1. In awakening in the minds of all the most seri- 
ous concern for salvation. In surveying the history 
of the state of the Church, both in ancient times and 
in the present day, it is surprising and deeply affecting 
to see what multitudes have sat under the sound of 
the Gospel without ever manifesting any serious con- 
cern about obtaining an interest in its blessings; 
whilst many others have assuined tr^e attitude of defi* 



TO PRECEDE AND INTRODUCE IT. 161 

ance, and have said, " Who is the Almighty that we 
should serve him ; and what profit should we have 
if we pray unto him ; and depart from us, for we 
desire not the knowledge of thy ways." The convic- 
tions of the Spirit have been wanting; hence they 
have heedlessly, and, in many instances, fearlessly pur- 
sued their downward course, unawed by the terrors 
of the law, and unmelted by the entreaties of the Gos- 
pel. But such will no longer be the case when the 
Spirit is poured out on "all flesh," for then " he will 
reprove the world of sin, of righteousness, and of 
judgment ;" and whenever this is the case, the first 
and earnest inquiry of all will be, "Men and brethren, 
what shall we do to be saved ?" The sanctuary will 
no longer be forsaken or neglected ; the instructions, 
entreaties, and exhortations of the preacher will no 
more be disregarded, or treated as an idle tale that 
has been often told ; the delusive plea, " Go thy way 
for this time, and when I have a more convenient sea- 
son I will call for thee," will no more be heard ; their 
situation as sinners will be felt by all ; and the scrip- 
tural declaration that " Now is the accepted time, 
now is the day of salvation," will be acknowledged 
and acted upon by all. Hence, through all the vil- 
lages, and towns, and cities throughout the world, it 
will be an universal awakening, and striving to enter 
into the kingdom of God. Every one will feel him- 
self to be lost, and as standing on the brink of destruc- 
tion, and as not having a moment to lose without flee- 
ing to the Saviour, And what an interesting period 
will it be, when all the ends of the earth shall be look- 
ing to him for salvation, and when the convictions 
and concern will be such as shall not die away, like 

14* 



162 EFFUSION OF HOLY SPIRIT 

many of the excitements of the present day, but shall 
last till the soul has found peace with God, through 
an interest in the peace-speaking blood of Christ. 

2. In qualifying all the members of the Church for 
the extraordinary calls which will then be made on 
them for exertion. As the calls on the Church for 
exertion will then be such as she has never witnessed 
before, so she will be eminently qualified for attending 
to them ; for the Spirit will be poured out in the most 
abundant measure upon her. And as the ministers of 
the Gospel will have to be abundant in labours, and 
instant in season and out of season, in order that they 
may meet the numerous cases of spiritual distress 
and inquiry which may come before them, so we may 
naturally expect that they will share largely in his gifts 
and graces. Their knowledge of Divine truth may 
be much greater than it is generally now; and their 
manner of illustrating, enforcing, and applying it to 
the diversified situation of all who may come before 
them, may be much more appropriate. Their zeal and 
devotedness will be in exact proportion with the great- 
ness of the work which they have to accomplish ; 
whilst their whole character and deportment will be 
in delightful harmony with the principles and spirit of 
the Gospel. Nor will the members of the Church be 
backward in taking their appropriate share in any 
good work. As their own souls will have shared li- 
berally in the general " refreshing from the presence 
of the Lord," so they will eminently shine as lights, 
holding forth the word of life in their walk and con- 
versation ; and zealously coming up with their exer- 
tions, their wealth, and their influence, to the help of 
the Lord. None then will look with carelessness on 



TO PRECEDE AND INTRODUCE IT. 163 

those who are out of the way, and perishing in their 
sins, nor feel indifferent about the advancement of the 
Redeemer's glory. The worth of the soul will be 
duly appreciated ; its exposure to eternal misery will 
be duly regarded ; the power of the grace, and the 
extent of the merits of the Saviour, will be well under- 
stood ; and the constraining power of his love will 
be felt by all. No good, therefore, will be left unat- 
tended to ; and as there will be no disunion nor luke- 
warmness, so they will all think the same thing, and 
with heart and hand help forward the great work of 
converting the world to Christ. This will then be 
felt to be the only thing worth living for ; and a man 
will rise in esteem and influence just as he rises in the 
scale of spiritual excellence and usefulness ; and the 
ambition of all will be, to bring the most honour and 
glory to the riches of Divine grace, reigning through 
Christ Jesus to this fallen and miserable world. 

3. In blessing, in the most abundant degree, the 
means of grace to the conversion of souls. As the 
awakening will be universal, and the zeal and exer- 
tions of the Church will be equal to the calls which 
may be made upon them, so the communications of 
the Spirit, as to fulness and variety, will be adapted to 
both. The doubts and fears, therefore, of the awak- 
ened and inquiring will be soon removed, and the 
soul will find a lasting peace and joy in believing. 
And among the vast multitude of the ministers of the 
Gospel who may then exist and labour in the Church, 
there will be none who will be able to take up the la- 
mentation of the prophet, and say, " I have laboured 
in vain ; I have spent my strength for nought, and in 
vain." Their instructions and counsels, exhortations 



164 EFFUSION OF HOLY SPIRIT 

and warnings, will be sealed on the hearts of their 
hearers ; and their crowns of rejoicing in the day of 
the Lord will be more numerous than we can well 
conceive. The Scriptural description of the Gospel, 
that it is " the power of God unto salvation," will then 
be fullyrealized and displayed, in its reducing to theobe- 
dience of the faith those who may have long been ob- 
stinate and careless, and in stirring up those who may 
have long been hesitating, without delay to lay hold 
on eternal life as it is offered in the Gospel. And 
when it is thus aided by the demonstration of the Spirit, 
it will run and be glorified ; and the prophetical de- 
scription of nations being born in a day will be am- 
ply verified. Yea, so rapid will be the progress, and 
so powerful the influence of the Gospel at the com- 
mencement and during the Millennium, that the de- 
lightful scenes of Pentecost will be nothing when com- 
pared with those which will then exist. It will be 
universally the day of the Redeemer's power ; and 
every knee will be bowing to him, and every tongue 
will be confessing him, to the glory of the Father. 
And when this is the case from east to west, and from 
north to south, how abundantly will the means of 
grace be blessed to the conversion of souls ! 

4. In removing all error from the Church. In every 
past age of the Church, error, in a great variety of 
forms, has defaced her beauty, and ruined the souls of 
men. But as error in every shape and degree has 
sprung from Satan, and the want of the agency of the 
Spirit of God on the souls of men, when Satan is uni- 
versally cast out, and chained for a thousand years in 
his dreary abode of darkness and wo, and the Spirit of 
God is universally poured out, and the Gospel is dif- 
fused over the whole world, the human mind will be 



TO PRECEDE AND INTRODUCE IT. 165 

universally freed from the errors which have so long 
led it astray, and will be walking in the truth, even as 
it is in Christ. The various false systems of philoso- 
phy, and the erroneous standards of action which have 
prevailed both in ancient and modern times, will all be de- 
stroyed ; and the Gospel, and the Gospel alone, be allow- 
ed to form the characters and to regulate the conduct of 
men. And as all will be, in an eminent degree, under the 
illuminating and sanctifying influences of the Spirit, so 
they will be all of one mind, and will all speak the 
same thing ; so that, as there is but one shepherd, there 
will also be but one sheepfold. The divisions of Zion 
will then be effectually healed, and contentions be- 
tween brethren be unknown ; for "one heart" will be 
given unto them, and they will all walk in one way. 
The reign of error will have come to an end ; and 
truth, pure as it came from heaven, will rule in the 
heart, and form it for that world where there is no de- 
ception, but where every thing is purity and truth. 

5. In removing every thing that is improper from 
the temper and conduct of her members. The im- 
perfections of the believer have been deeply lamented 
in every age, and have contributed greatly to the hin- 
dering of the progress of the kingdom of Christ. But 
as they have all originated in the sinful state of the 
soul, and in the very imperfect degree of sanctification 
which most have hitherto attained, when the Spirit of 
God shall be poured out as floods on the dry ground, 
we may very naturally expect that these imperfections 
will be greatly, if not completely, removed, and a far 
greater degree of the image of God, and the mind that 
was in Christ Jesus, be reached than has hitherto 
been. For as Satan will never be permitted to dis- 



166 EFFUSION OF HOLY SPIRIT 

turb the soul by his temptations, nor to lead it astray 
from the path of duty, it will be left free from all oppo- 
sition to the moulding influence of the Gospel and the 
Spirit of God. And when this is the case, liow soon 
will the soul become holiness to the Lord, and every 
thing disappear from it which can offend ! Christians 
will then no longer be stumbling-blocks in one an- 
other's way, but all will edify one another in love ; 
and, like Zacharias and Elizabeth of old, be "righteous 
before God, walking in all the commandments and 
ordinances of the Lord blameless." 

6. In greatly elevating the standard of Christian 
principle and practice. In examining with any de- 
gree of accuracy into the state of the Church, both in 
the present and former days, do we not perceive the most 
lamentable evidences that in these respects she has 
come far short of the glory of God? Ostensibly she 
has said that the Scriptures of the Old and New Tes^ 
taments contain the only rule of faith and practice ; 
but, in cases without number, she has been a hearer of 
the word, but not a doer of it. In the happy days, 
however, when the prophecy of the text shall have 
been fulfilled, the very reverse of all this will be the case. 
For, along with the extended knowledge of the Divine 
requirements, conscience will be proportionably faithful, 
and the heart will be fully disposed to yield an entire, 
as well as a willing obedience, to all that the Lord our 
God hath spoken. The example, too, of the Saviour 
will be laid down as an unerring guide, and will be 
faithfully adhered to in all its imitable perfections. 
The heart then will not rest satisfied with low attain- 
ments in grace, nor in exertions for the glory of 
the Lord. All will earnestly desire the best gifts, and 



TO PRECEDE AND INTRODUCE IT. 167 

will cultivate them to the highest possible degree. And 
zeal for the advancement of the Redeemer's kingdom, 
like fire in our bones, will give life and vigour to eve- 
ry member of the Church. The consecration of the 
soul, and of wealth and influence to the service of 
Christ, will be entire and permanent. The demon of 
mammon will be cast out of the heart, and the days be 
for ever past when any will attempt to serve God and 
the world at the same time. And as our heavenly 
Father is perfect, so will all be aiming to be so in the 
highest degree of which their natures are suscepti- 
ble. And when we reflect that it is the whole family 
of man that is to attain this spiritual excellence, and 
to manifest this holy devotedness, what an amazing 
advancement in knowledge and piety will mankind 
then have made, above every thing of the kind that 
we see in the present day. How holy and spiritually 
minded will they all be, and what delight will they 
experience in the service of Christ ; and with what joy 
will they look forward to eternity and heaven as the 
place where they are all soon to meet, for ever to taste 
the joys which cannot be expressed, and to mingle in 
the scenes which no earthly language can describe ! 

By way of improvement of this important subject, 
we remark, 

1. We here learn that we have the firmest foun- 
dation on which our faith and hope, with regard to the 
Millennium, may rest. In surveying the present state 
of the Church and the world, we readily admit that 
the difficulties in the way of it are exceedingly great. 
But when we bear in mind that the agency to be em- 
ployed in effecting it is the same as that which moved 
on the face of the waters at first — when all was chaos 



168 EFFUSION OF HOLY SPIRIT 

— and reduced every thing to the beautiful order in 
which we now behold it, and which garnished the 
heavens above us, how can we doubt the practicability 
of it 1 For the agent employed to effect it is Divine ; 
and whenever and wherever he is pleased to work, 
who shall be able to resist and overcome him? When 
the Gospel, therefore, shall have been preached in all 
lands, and when the judgments, to which we lately di- 
rected your attention, shall have laid Antichrist and 
all his supporters prostrate in the dust, and the way of 
the Lord shall have been thus prepared, whatever more 
remains to be done for the conversion of the world to 
Christ, and the elevation of piety in the Church, we may 
rest assured that the Spirit will easily perform, when he 
is poured out on all flesh as floods on the dry ground. 
Had the same influence, for example, which he commu- 
nicated to the three thousand souls, who were added to 
the Church on the day of Pentecost, been extended to 
the whole multitude which was then in Jerusalem, 
who can doubt that they should all have become the 
followers of the Lamb 1 And if this same influence 
is extended to the whole world— and what can hinder 
it, as the Spirit is omnipotent, and every where pre- 
sent — is not the world just as easily, and as likely to be 
converted, as those three thousand souls were at Jeru- 
salem ? If the difficulties, therefore, are great, let us 
ever remember that the means and the agency to re- 
move them are also great. Yea, that the work is the 
Lord's, and that he has -promised to do it. And as 
there is nothing too hard for Him, we cannot enter- 
tain a doubt that it will be done, and that all nations 
shall be blessed in Christ ; and that His praise shall be 
sung by every tongue, and in every land under heaven. 



TO PRECEDE AND INTRODUCE IT. 169 

2. In all our plans for the diffusion of religion, let 
us ever remember, that without the agency of the Holy 
Spirit it cart never be produced in the soul. This is 
a most important remark for all to keep in mind in 
their plans and prayers for the extension of Christ's 
kingdom. For though, so far as our exertions are con* 
cerned, it is our duty to be as zealous and active as if 
success depended entirely upon them, yet we must 
never forget that " Paul may plant, and Apollos may 
water, but it is God who giveth the increase" Yes, 
religion in the soul is of Divine origin, and the agency 
which produces and sustains it, is that which the 
Holy Spirit puts forth through the channel of the means 
of grace. In the diligent use of these, therefore, let us 
look beyond them to this ; and never let us attempt to 
help forward the Millennial glory without our faith 
and hope resting upon it. To send the Gospel, or to 
preach it, to those who are sitting in darkness and in 
the region of the shadow of death, is by far the most 
important blessing that we can confer on them ; yet, 
after they have possessed it, it will be but a dead let- 
ter if the spirit of life in Christ Jesus does not accom- 
pany it. Let us depend, therefore, on this ; and when 
we see sinners converted, or saints edified and built 
up in their most holy faith, let us hail it as an evidence 
of his presence, and ascribe to him all the glory. 

3. Let all, therefore, seek after a more copious mea- 
sure of it for themselves, and earnestly pray for the 
fulfilment of the promises of God concerning it in re- 
ference to others. What a delightful thought is it, 
that a time is coming when the Spirit will be poured 
out on all flesh, and as floods on the dry ground for 
copiousness, and that he will remove out of the Church 

15 



170 EFFUSION OF HOLY SPIRIT, ETC. 



every thing that is wrong and defective ; and that, tin- 
der his influence, the world will be filled with spiritual 
worshippers of the only living and true 'God. And 
what effect should this delightful prospect have upon 
us ? Ought it not to be, earnestly to seek a larger 
measure of his influence for ourselves than we at pre- 
sent possess, that we may approach — though it may 
be at a humble distance — the knowledge, the holiness, 
and the happiness of those who may be favoured to 
Hve in the Millennial age ? And what blessing so 
valuable can we ask, either for our children, or others 
around us, or others that are far off, as the fulfilment 
of the promise of the text. Seeing, then, that God has 
in his infinite condescension said, that " for all these 
things I will be inquired of by the house of Israel," 
and that he has invited us " to prove him, and to see 
whether he will not open to us the windows of heaven, 
and pour us out a blessing till there shall not be room 
enough to contain" — let us come with believing hearts 
and prove him, and ask that we may receive, and seek 
that we may find. And whatever blessing you fail to 
ask, O forget not the Holy Spirit ; for in possessing 
himj you have every thing that you can need and all 
that you can desire, till you reach that world where 
you will be for ever established in holiness, and 
will shine resplendent in the image of the Saviour, 
and be for ever beyond the reach of sin and wo. 



ON THE DOWNFALL, ETC. 171 



DISCOURSE X. 



ON THE DOWNFALL OF ANTICHRIST. 

Hev. xviii. -21. And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great mill- 
stone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that 
great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at 
all. 

All who are acquainted with the history of the 
Church and the state of the world, know that the great- 
est obstructions to the advancement of the kingdom of 
Christ have originated in the usurpations and corrup- 
tions of Antichrist on the one hand, and Jewish infi- 
delity on the other. Hence, their destruction must 
form so important an era, and be productive of so 
many advantageous results to the Church and the 
world, that they are well worthy of a distinct conside- 
ration in a series of discourses illustrative of the Mil- 
lennium; and it is to the former of these we solicit 
your attention on the present occasion. 

In the primitive ages of the Gospel, and even dur- 
ing the days of the Apostles, we learn that there were 
many Antichrists ; and, in attending to the account 
which John has given us of them, their leading error 
seems to have been connected with the Trinity, and 
a denial that Jesus was the long-promised Messiah. 
The great Antichrist, however, " the wicked one — the 
son of perdition, whose coming" Paul had described 



172 ON THE DOWNFALL 

" as after the workings of Satan, with all power, and 
signs, and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of 
unrighteousness in them that perish," had not then be- 
gun to manifest the full-grown features of his character. 
If the system, indeed, existed at all, it was but in its la- 
tent beginnings ; and ages were to pass away before 
it could appear in all its hideous deformity of error 
and cruelty. Awful, however, though its departures 
were from the truth, and terrible though it was as a 
scourge of the Church and of mankind, yet the day 
actually came when it was fully manifested to the 
world. And when it did appear, it resembled a mon- 
ster having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his; 
horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of 
Blasphemy. In order, also, to illustrate still farther the 
characters of this system, it is sometimes called Sodom r 
and Egypt, and Babylon ; appellations which are 
doubtless intended to suggest its unnatural crimes 
and cruelties, and the dreadful calamities which k, ha® 
brought on the genuine people of God. But here, as 
might very naturally be expected, a controversy has 
arisen as to who or what Antichrist is ; Papists en- 
deavouring to find him in some of the Pagan perse- 
cutors, or heretics as they are pleased to denominate 
some of the brightest ornaments of the Church 1 ; and 
Protestants being no less confident that he is to be re- 
garded either as the head, or the system itself, of the 
Romish Church. The descriptions, however, which 
are given of his character and proceedings in the Scrip- 
tures, agree so exactly with the tenets and history of 
the Church of Rome, that no mind, which is not so op- 
posed to the truth as that it cannot see it when it is 
presented before it, can be at any loss to come to a con- 



- 



OP ANTICHRIST. 173 

elusion on the subject. When we, therefore, speak of 
Antichrist, we are to be understood as referring to the 
system of the Romish Church, of which the Pope is 
the head ; and when we speak of the downfall of An- 
tichrist, we mean the utter subversion of this system 
wherever it has been established or countenanced. In 
directing your attention to this subject, we shall, I. De- 
scribe the character of Antichrist. II. The certainty 
of his destruction. III. The means and manner by 
which it will be effected. 

I. Describe the character of Antichrist. As illus- 
trative of this, we remark that it may be viewed, 

1. As a system of awful usurpation in reference to 
God. Of God, it is said that he is a jealous God, and 
his glory he will not give unto another. As the sove- 
reign of the universe, it belongs to him to give laws to 
his creatures, and to receive the homage, love, and obe- 
dience of their whole hearts ; but of " the man of Sin n 
— the great Antichrist — it is said that " he as God sit- 
teth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is 
God." That is, in all matters of a religious nature he 
arrogates to himself the honours, influence, and works 
which belong only to God. And that we may see how 
exactly this is descriptive of the Pope and the system of 
which he is the head, we have only to consider the blas- 
phemous nature of some of his assumptions, Thus, 
among the titles which he claims, is that of being a 
" God on earth, and the Lord God the Pope." And 
in order to show that he does not regard these merely 
as empty titles without a meaning, he declares that 
u he and his are not bound to be subject and obedient 
to the commands of God — that all laws are in the cof- 
fer of the Pope's breast, and full power over all laws — 

15* 



174 ON THE DOWNFALL 

that if the Pope be so negligent of his own salvation, 
and so negligent and remiss in office that he should 
draw innumerable multitudes to hell with him to be 
there ever tormented, yet may no mortal man reprove 
him of any fault in so doing— that the Pope has power 
to commute and dissolve vows made to God ; and then 
if any man defer to pay his vow according to God ; s 
command, he is not held guilty — that the Pope has not 
his authority from the Scriptures, but the Scriptures 
from the Pope." The sum, indeed, of all the Canoni- 
cal law of the Romish Church is, " that the Pope is a 
God on the earth, superior to all celestial, terrestrial, spi- 
ritual, and secular persons ; that all things are his, and 
none may say unto him — ' What doest thou V " In 
strict accordance, also, with this blasphemy, and in 
time's and ways without number, and many of them 
too gross to be here particularly detailed, has he set 
aside the laws of God, and by his plenary indulgences 
allowed the fullest scope to the depravity of the heart 
in his followers. His assumption, too, of Divine pow- 
ers is seen not only in his altering and disannulling 
the commands of God, but in his adding to them ma- 
ny things that are entirely of human invention, and 
placing them on a level with such things as God has 
revealed. The honour, too, which he claims from his 
subjects, is exactly similar to that which God claims 
from his creatures. Indeed, the whole system, viewed 
in its aspect towards God, is not merely an assump- 
tion of equality with him, but of superiority to him. 
And did we not know, beyond all doubt, that it has 
prevailed, and still prevails over a great part of the 
civilized world, it is so awfully blasphemous, that we 
should not be able to believe it. And strong though 



OF ANTICHRIST. 175 

the language be which the Scriptures use in order to 
describe his character, it does not go beyond the reality ; 
for, as "the Man of Sin, and the Son of Perdition, and 
the Wicked One/' his great object seems to be to turn 
the mind entirely from God, and to lead it to sin not 
only openly but fearlessly ; and willingly to rush to 
everlasting perdition. 

2. As a system of awful error, by which the dis- 
tinguishing peculiarities of the Gospel are either de- 
nied or set aside. In the Sacred Scriptures we are 
told that Christ is " the way, the truth, and the life ; 
and that there is no mediator between God and man, 
but he ;" but in the Popish system we find, that there 
are many to whom its deluded followers are enjoined 
to pray : as Mary the mother of our Lord, and a vast 
number of their canonized saints and angels, to all 
of whom they are instructed to address their suppli- 
cations as intercessors between them and God. Again, 
in the Sacred Scriptures we are told that " Christ was 
once offered to bear the sins of many," and that " by 
one offering he has perfected for ever them that are 
sanctified." Hence, in virtue of this sacrifice for sin, 
his ambassadors are to preach forgiveness to the 
world, and to hold him forth as the only propitiation 
through faith in his blood ; but in the ceremony of 
the sacrifice of the mass, the Pope and his followers 
pretend still to offer up the real body and blood of 
Christ as a sacrifice for sin ! By their doctrine also of 
human merit, and the virtue of their penances, they ef- 
fectually set aside the merit of the Saviour, and make sal- 
vation to be entirely of works ! By pretending also to 
forgive sins, they arrogate to themselves the power of 
distributing the mercy of God to the souls of men. And 



176 ON THE DOWNFALL 

by their invention of Purgatory, and the supposed power 
of the priesthood to pray souls out of it, they effectually 
deny the accountability of man, and set aside all the decla- 
rations of Scripture concerning the nature and conse- 
quences of the Judgment By declaring also, as they 
do, that " if the Pope should err by commanding vice 
and prohibiting virtue, the Church was bound to be-, 
lieve vice to be good and virtue to be evil," they ef- 
fectually do away the eternal distinction between vir- 
tue and vice, which exists in the nature of God, and 
thus virtually set aside the whole system of Revela- 
tion. Thus, in the hands of such men the Gospel is 
nothing, and the Saviour is nothing but what they 
are pleased to make them ; and sin and holiness may 
change their respective properties — either when ap- 
plied to intentional errors, or those which spring from 
ignorance. How exactly, then, do his character and 
works correspond with his name, " the man of sin and 
Antichrist?" His element, indeed, is sin ; the tendency 
of the whole system is sin in all its forms ; and his 
doctrines strip the Gospel of all its glory, and Christ 
of all his honour as the Saviour of the world. How 
well, then, may he be described as " The Wicked One 
— the great Antichrist, whose coming is after the 
workings of Satan ?" 

3. As a system of opposition to the diffusion of the 
word of God. The Sacred Scriptures are denominat- 
ed the oracles "of God, inasmuch as they contain a 
revelation of his mind and will to man. And as they 
are to be considered as God's voice to man, so in or- 
der that all may hear it, it is necessary that it should 
be circulated throughout the whole world. But no- 
thing forms a more prominent feature in the proceed- 



OF ANTICHRIST* 177 

ings of tt the man of sin," than his opposition to the gene- 
ral diffusion of the word of God. His avowed doctrine, 
indeed, is, that it should never be in the hands of the laity ; 
and throughout a long period of his existence he acted 
faithfully upon it, and kept the mind of his adherents in 
a state of the grossest ignorance of all that the Lord our 
God has spoken to us. And this is precisely the state of 
the case still in all those countries where his influ- 
ence reigns uncontrolled, or unchecked by that of 
Protestants. As a proof that this is no libel upon 
him, and as illustrative of his true spirit towards the 
word of God, we appeal to the fact that, since Bible 
Societies came into operation, he has repeatedly thun- 
dered out his anathemas against all attempts to circu- 
late them amongst his adherents, and prohibited them, 
under pain of the most dreadful penalties, from receiv- 
ing them. Hence, under the operation of these anathe- 
mas, many copies of the Scriptures, which had been: 
distributed in Catholic countries, have been seized by 
the priests, and torn to pieces or committed to the flames. 
But here it may possibly be objected, that the Pope 
has now allowed the use of the Scriptures to the laity, 
and that therefore this feature of his character is no- 
longer correct. This, however, is very far from being 
the state of the case ; for in countries which are en- 
tirely under his sway they are still a prohibited book, 
except to the priesthood. Besides all this, the Scrip- 
tures which are circulated are not the pure unadul- 
terated word of God, allowed to speak for itself, but a 
mistranslation of it, designed to propagate the leading 
features of the system, and accompanied by notes and 
explanations, in which it is maintained and defended 
in all its deformity. The man of sin knows full well 



178 ON THE DOWNFALL 

that if he were to circulate the word of God pure as 
it came from his own hands, and leave it to speak for 
itself, the eyes of his adherents would soon be opened 
to discover and detest his true character, and that 
there would be an end to his influence over the minds 
of men. His plan, therefore, is, and ever has been, 
and ever will be — as far as he can act out the genuine 
spirit of his system — to keep them ignorant of what 
the will of the Lord is ; hence he will never allow 
them to have the word of God in their hands if he 
can keep it out of them. Rather, indeed, will he al- 
low them to perish than enable them to search the 
Scriptures, which contain the words of everlasting 
life, and conduct the soul to the Saviour. 

4. As a system of unprecedented cruelty and per- 
secution. The express injunctions and tendency of 
the Gospel are directly opposed to every thing in 
the shape of cruelty and persecution ; but of the his- 
tory of Antichrist, it may well be said that it is writ- 
ten in blood. In every country, indeed, in which he 
has held the sovereign sway, he has — as John de- 
scribes him — "caused all, both small and great, rich 
and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their 
right hand or in their foreheads ; and that no man 
might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the 
name of the Beast, or the number of his name." Or 
should any have fortitude enough to call in question 
his supremacy, and oppose his usurpations, he has 
never failed " to cause that as many as would not wor- 
ship the image of the Beast should be put to death." 
Hence, when John saw him in his prophetical visions, 
it was under the resemblance of " a woman drunk 
with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the 



OP ANTICHRIST. 179 

martyrs of Jesus." And so accurate is this description 
of him, that there is no country in which he has been 
established by the civil power, which he has not — at 
one period or another — drenched with the blood of the 
saints. The rights of conscience he has never in such 
circumstances respected. Like "a God on earth," 
above all laws, human and Divine, he has announced 
his proscriptions; and kings with their subjects have 
been consigned to destruction, and unheard-of cruelties 
been perpetrated upon them, whenever they had the 
heroism to think and act on the subject of religion for 
themselves. By the single device, too, of the Inquisi- 
tion, he has destroyed more lives than can well be 
credited. And still his nature is unchanged. Like a 
beast of prey, he still thirsts for the blood of the saints ; 
and though his political power is greatly diminished, 
yet he still possesses enough to render him formidable 
wherever his influence prevails ; and before his de- 
struction, this power is likely to be exerted to the ut- 
most, so that many may yet be the sufferers from this 
monster of cruelty and corruption. But, blessed be 
God, the days of his power are coming to an end — the 
sun of his reign is setting — and the period may not 
be far distant, when the voices of a redeemed world 
shall be heard, saying, " Babylon the great is fallen, 
is fallen to rise no more." 

Let us consider, 

II. The certainty of his destruction. The destruc- 
tion of Antichrist cannot but appear an object so de- 
sirable that the mind of every well-wisher of man must 
anxiously look for the evidence of it, on which our faith 
and hope may rest. Now, concerning this it may be re- 
marked, that the evidence of his destruction is just as full 



180 ON THE DOWNFALL 

and definite as that which we have in connexion with 
his rise and influence. For in the very passage in 
which Paul gives us so graphic a description of his rise 
and character, he tells us that " the Lord shall consume 
him with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy 
him with the brightness of his coming;" language 
which not only announces the certainty of his destruc- 
tion, but the agent by whom it is to be effected, and 
the manner in which it is to be done. The whole, too, 
of the chapter from which the text is selected, contains 
nothing but an affecting description of his ruin. And 
in order the more effectually to impress our mind with 
the certainty of it, John represents a mighty angel as 
coming down from heaven, and whose glory lighten- 
ed the earth, in order that he might announce it. 
And from the description that is given of him, we are 
naturally led to suppose that this was Jesus himself, 
the angel of the covenant, and the faithful and true 
witness, to whom the future, as well as the past and 
the present, is perfectly known. As he could not, 
therefore, be mistaken, so neither could he lead us 
into error concerning it ; for the perfection of his na- 
ture raises him to an infinite distance above the 
possibility of this. His testimony, therefore, must be 
true. But what is the amount of this testimony? 
Why, that certain, irrecoverable, and sudden destruc- 
tion awaits the Papal power and all his adherents. 
Like ancient Babylon in her pride and glory, Anti- 
christ is destined to experience a desolating destruc- 
tion. His pride, and riches, and luxury are to be turn- 
ed into shame, and want, and misery. His joy is to 
give place to mourning, and his pleasure to torment. 
In one day the plagues of -death, and mourning, and 



OF ANTICHRIST. 181 

i 

famine, are to come upon him ; and all ranks of peo- 
ple under his dominion are to be reduced to the ut- 
most poverty and distress ; whilst he himself is to be 
visited with the heaviest vengeance from God, for all 
the cruelty and oppression which he has exercised 
upon his servants and people. The tokens, too, of his 
torments are to be visible and affecting, as the thick 
and fiery smoke which ascends from a city on flames. 
His friends, too, who had formerly supported him, and 
gained their wealth from him, when they see his sud- 
den and utter destruction, are represented as being 
greatly astonished, and as lifting up their lamentations 
over him ; and seeing that he can help them no more, 
as fleeing as far as possible out of the way of his judg- 
ments, and leaving him to sink, unpitied and forsaken, 
under his fearful calamities. Such is the amount of 
the testimony of Jesus concerning the downfall of An- 
tichrist. And who that really believes in him can 
doubt that it will be literally fulfilled? For as he 
himself is to be the great agent in accomplishing this 
destruction, and as all power in heaven and on earth 
is given to him, when he arises out of his place, and 
manifests this power, how feeble and useless will be all 
the resistance which Antichrist can make before him. 
His hand is mighty to destroy as well as mighty to 
save ; and it has only to be lifted up, and its ven- 
geance descend, and then — suddenly as a millstone 
that is cast into the sea sinks and disappears — so shall 
that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be 
found no more at all. Let us now consider, 

III. The means and manner by which it will be 
effected. 

1. By the general diffusion of the pure doctrines of 

16 



182 ON THE DOWNFALL 

the Gospel. As the system of Antichrist is a system 
of ignorance and superstition, so it can be effectually 
rooted out only by the principles of the Gospel. It is 
not enough that its present adherents be destroyed ; 
the system itself must be rooted out of the heart, and 
the understanding be elevated above its errors ; and 
this can be done only by the communication of the 
pure doctrines of the Gospel, and the work of the 
Holy Spirit on the soul. And so far as the past his- 
tory of the Church can assist us in forming an opin- 
ion of this part of it, which is still future, there cannot 
be a doubt that this will be a most effectual means of 
hastening the destruction of all Antichristian error 
and usurpation. For by it the minds of men will be 
enlightened to see the truth, and to perceive the hide- 
ous deformity, and the soul-ruining tendency of the 
errors to which we have already alluded. And it 
seems to be this which is principally intended, when 
it is said that " the Lord shall consume him with the 
spirit of his mouth." As in the beginning of the glo- 
rious Reformation, when Luther and his fellow-labour- 
ers lifted up their voice and preached the everlasting 
Gospel, and showed to the world the deformity of the 
Beast, and many of his followers were led to abandon 
him and his cause, so the time will again come when 
all this will be done, and even with greater effect ; for 
the defection from him will then be more general and 
complete. And when we cast our eyes on the opera- 
tions of the Christian Church in the present day, and 
see the flood of light which, by the general diffusion 
of the Scriptures, and numerous works calculated to 
enforce their pure, spiritual, and heavenly principles, 
we cannot but perceive that the means are already in 



OP ANTICHRIST. 183 

operation, by which the remaining influence of the 
man of Sin will be effectually destroyed. For man- 
kind will become too wise, and too well acquaint- 
ed with the nature of the Gospel, to be deceived as 
they have been by " the mystery of iniquity." And 
though the powers of darkness will no doubt exert 
their utmost influence to prevent its inroads, yet it will 
be all in vain. For the time is rapidly passing away, 
during which the greatest portion of mankind have 
taken truth upon trust. Yes ; the spirit of the age is 
decidedly that of inquiring into the reason of things ; 
and whenever this spirit shall have spread extensively 
over Catholic countries, and the Scriptures shall have 
been circulated in them, and the pure doctrines of the 
Gospel shall be preached in them, it does not admit of 
a doubt that many will be found who will have prin- 
ciple enough to enable them to confess Christ, and 
abandon the man of Sin to the ruin which they will 
clearly see to be impending over him ; and thus contri- 
bute to weaken his influence over the minds of others. 
2. By the destruction of his political influence 
through the defection of states and countries formerly 
attached to his sway. In reading over the history of 
the rise, progress, and completion of Antichrist, 
nothing is more evident than that he was greatly in- 
debted to the assistance which he derived from the 
civil powers or governments into which the old Ro* 
man empire was broken after its fall. Hence the ten 
horns which John, in vision, saw, as jutting out or 
protruding from the head of the mystical Babylon, are 
afterwards interpreted as meaning "ten kings, who were 
possessed of one mind, and gave their power and strength 
unto the Beast." It is a remarkable circumstance, 



184 ON THE DOWNFALL 

however, that these ten kings — that is, the states or 
kingdoms which are under their sway — are at last re- 
presented as " hating the Beast, as making him de- 
solate and naked, and eating his flesh, and burning 
him with lire," Rev. xvii. 16. And in looking at the 
present state of the nations of Europe, the accurate 
observer cannot fail to discover a remarkable fulfil- 
ment of a great part of this prophecy. For already 
have some of the most powerful of the nations, which 
in former times were under his sway, ceased to give 
their power and strength to him; and the tidings have 
but just well reached us of Portugal, that was so long 
devoted to his cause, having cast off his yoke, and 
bid defiance to his anathemas and power. Spain, too, 
is rapidly following her example ; and renovated by 
the Gospel and the grace of the Saviour, may yet 
wipe away the deep stains of blood and cruelty which 
appear in her history, and come up to the help of the 
Lord against the mighty, and contribute to the carry- 
ing on of the Church to her Millennial peace and glory. 
Other nations that are still closely in league with him, 
may also soon become tired of his corruptions and 
tyranny ; and clearly foreseeing the storm of wrath 
which is coming upon him, may, in order to save 
themselves, forsake him, and join in the universal as- 
sault which will be made upon him and his interests. 
And when this is the case, how speedy, as well as 
terrible, may his destruction come upon him. For 
when he is assaulted, as well as forsaken, by the very 
nations which gave him his civil existence and power, 
he will be thrown entirely on his own resources, which 
will be found just as weak as a broken reed to him 



OP ANTICHRIST. 185 

i 

that leans upon it, before the overwhelming force 
which will be against him. 

3. By terrible judgments from God. In addition to 
all the calamities of war, which may be inflicted 
through human agency, we seem to have the strong- 
est evidence for believing that God himself will be 
an agent in accomplishing his destruction. Thus, 
when he is spoken of as Babylon under the figure of 
a woman, we are told that " her sins have reached 
unto heaven — that God hath remembered her iniqui- 
ties — that the plagues of death, and mourning, and fa- 
mine, shall come upon her in one day, and that she 
shall be utterly burnt with fire, for strong is the Lord 
God who judgeth her ; and that he will give unto her 
the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. In 
our discourse on the judgments which are to be pour- 
ed out on the nations of the earth as introductory to 
the Millennium, we had occasion, as you may recol- 
lect, to refer to this subject. And on a farther con- 
sideration of it since then, we are persuaded that God 
will not only pour .out the most terrible judgments from 
his own hands upon Antichrist and all his obstinate 
adherents ; but that Rome, which has been for so long 
a period his seat, is to be laid in ashes, and to remain 
a perpetual ruin. Hence the smoke of her burning, 
like pillars stretching far into the heavens above her, 
is represented as ascending immediately after it had 
been stated " that she shall be utterly burnt with fire." 
And so terrible is the Conflagration that the kings of 
the earth, who formerly gave their power unto her, 
when they saw the smoke of her burning, are repre- 
sented as "standing afar off for the fear of her torments;" 
that is, lest it should come nigh unto them — and, 

16* 



186 ON THE DOWNFALL 

$ 
/ 

full of confusion and astonishment, as " saying, Alas t 
alas ! that great city Babylon, that mighty city, for 
in one hour is thy judgment come." The mer- 
chants, also, who were made rich by her, are also in- 
troduced as " standing afar off for the fear of her tor- 
ment, weeping and wailing, and saying, Alas, ! alas ! 
that great city that was clothed in fine linen, and pur- 
ple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious 
stones, and pearls, for in one hour so great riches is 
come to nought," The ship-masters, and all the tra- 
ders by sea, are also represented as standing afar off, 
and weeping and wailing, " because in one hour she 
is made desolate." The whole of this phraseology 
leads us to anticipate that Rome herself — yes, proud, 
imperial Rome — is to be laid in ashes, along with im- 
mense multitudes of the adherents of the Beast. And 
so sudden is her destruction to come upon her, that it 
is represented as taking place in " an hour ;" and so 
complete is to be her overthrow, that, in the language 
of the text, " she shall be found no more at all." Thus 
will Antichrist and his remaining adherents, his sys- 
tem and his seat, from which he has so long thunder- 
ed his anathemas, and sent forth his delusions, perish 
together ; and then, when this system of cruelty and 
corruption is destroyed, the Church and the world 
will have rest ; and heaven, as well as earth, will join 
in the ascription of "Alleluia; salvation, and glory, 
and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God : for 
true and righteous are his Judgments : for he hath 
judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth 
with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of 
his servants at her hand ;" and then shall Christ, with- 



OP ANTICHRIST. 187 

out one opposing foe, reign from sea to sea, and from 
the river to the ends of the earth. 

In drawing this subject to a close, we remark that 
it should lead us, 

1. Earnestly to seek the conversion of the followers 
of Antichrist. Though it is not possible for us to ab- 
hor and detest the system of Antichrist too much — 
that is, beyond what it deserves — yet to its deluded 
followers we should ever be ready to extend the pity 
of the Gospel ; and by every means within our power 
— in the use of instruction, kindness, and prayer — en- 
deavour to bring them to the knowledge of the truth, 
and a forsaking of their sins. Whilst a great deal is 
being done, through the exertions of the Church, 
for the conversion of heathen and Mohammedan na- 
tions, does not this subject suggest an important in- 
quiry, whether we are doing what we should, or might 
do, for the conversion of those who are still ensnared 
in the delusions of " the man of Sin ?" Are not their 
souls just as precious as either the souls of Pagans or 
Mohammedans 1 Are they not in as imminent dan- 
ger of being lost as theirs ? And, were proper and 
persevering efforts made for their conversion, is it not 
likely that in many cases they would be crowned with 
a glorious measure of success? Owing, however, to 
the declining spirit of the Protestant churches, we are 
disposed to think that they have been too long and too 
much neglected; whilst in some instances evil, in 
place of good, has been rendered to them for evil ; a 
circumstance which has only tended to deepen their 
prejudices, and to call forth into active exercise the 
spirit of their system. But if we would win their 
souls from the error of their ways, we must adopt a 



188 ON THE DOWNFALL 

very different course — a course that will lead them 
clearly to perceive that it is their system, and not them, 
that we abhor; and that whilst we wage perpetual 
hostility against it, our heart yearns over them in un- 
feigned compassion ; and that it is their soul's good, and 
not their ruin, that we seek. And whenever we thus 
manifest the spirit of the Gospel, in connexion with 
zealous and well-directed efforts for their good, we 
have no doubt that many of them will be led to see its 
superiority over their own, and to come and be follow- 
ers of us as we are of Christ. And what an honour 
will it be to be thus instrumental in weakening the 
influence of " that wicked one, whose coming has been 
after the working of Satan, and who has so long de- 
ceived the nations ;" for, just as this influence de- 
clines, so will pure and undefiled religion flourish, and 
the kingdom of Christ be advanced. Come, then, my 
beloved brethren, and amidst all our exertions and 
prayers for the conversion of the world to Christ, let 
us not be unmindful of those whom God has hitherto 
left to believe the lies of Antichrist ; but rather let us 
give them a place in our thoughts and plans of exer- 
tion, that it may appear to our fellow men, to angels, 
and to God, that if they perish in their sins, their blood 
will not have to be required at our hands. 

2. To keep ourselves free from all connexion with 
him. Antichrist, we have seen, is "the mystery of 
iniquity"— is " full of the names of blasphemy ;" and, 
as such, is destined to an awful and perpetual destruc- 
tion. How necessary, then, is it for our own safety, 
to obey the voice from heaven, which says — " Come 
out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her 
sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." Whilst 



OP ANTICHRIST. 189 

we, therefore, manifest the tenderest compassion for 
those who are under his influence, and earnestly seek 
their salvation, let us have no fellowship with them in 
their works of iniquity, nor give the slightest counte- 
nance to them in supporting their system. In these 
days of Liberalism as it is called, we fear that there is 
danger on this subject. But do not mistake me. So 
far as the dictates of conscience are concerned, and 
the liberty to worship God according to them, we will 
yield to no man in maintaining that they are the 
birthright of all, and should be as free and unshackled 
as the air that we breathe. But whilst I most rea- 
dily yield this liberty to all men, and claim it for my- 
self, yet I cannot grant that any man has the right to 
ask me to approve of and support his errors, when 
these errors are ruining to the souls of men, and are* 
denounced by the God of heaven. And if I keep my- 
self unspotted from them, and endeavour to convince 
him that they are errors, and to prevent others from 
falling under their influence, I cannot admit that he 
has any just cause of complaint against me. On the 
contrary, it is a duty binding on all, if they would 
keep their conscience void of offence towards God and 
towards man, thus to act. Whilst yon, therefore, cast 
a pitying eye on the adherents of the man of Sin, be 
eareful ever to remember the character which God has 
given of his system ; and whilst you and it continue 
in this world, never fail to contend earnestly for the 
faith once delivered to the saints. Above all things, 
attend well and constantly to the salvation of your 
own souls, and study to shine as lights, holding forth 
the word of life in all vour walk and conversation. 



190 ON THE CALLING 



DISCOURSE XI. 



ON THE CALLING OF THE JEWS. 

Rom. xi. 25, 26. Blindness in part is happened to Israel until the ful- 
ness of the Gentiles be come in ; and so all Israel shall be saved. 
As it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and 
shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. 

Of all the histories with which we can become ac- 
quainted, there is none more instructive or affecting' 
than that of the ancient people of God. Separated 
from the rest of mankind by institutions which were 
peculiar to themselves, and blessed with the most emi- 
nent manifestations of the Divine favour, they far sur- 
passed every other nation on earth in glory and happi- 
ness. For what nation was there that had statutes so 
wise or so great, or that had God so nigh unto them, as 
they had ? To them, indeed, pertained the adoption, and 
the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, 
and the service of God, and the promises ; and of whom, 
as concerning the flesh, Christ came, who is over all 
God blessed for ever. In the days of their prosperity 
Moses might well, therefore, exclaim over them — " Hap- 
py art thou, O Israel ! Who is like unto thee, O peo- 
ple saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help, and the 
sword of thy excellency ?" But as we follow them 
down the stream of time, what forgetfulness of God 
and rebellion against him do they manifest! And 



OP THE JEWS. 191 

what astonishing patience, mercy, and goodness, did 
God continue to exhibit towards them, till the cup of 
their iniquity was full, and neither justice nor mercy 
could bear with them any longer ! His servants, the 
prophets, whom he had sent to them, they had often de- 
spised and slain ; and as a last attempt to reclaim them 
from their downward course to perdition, he sent to 
them his only begotten Son ; but though he came to 
them with nothing but tidings of peace and good- will, 
yet they received him not ; but in the hardness and 
impenitence of their hearts, exclaimed — " This is the 
heir ; come, let us kill him." And under the in- 
fluence of this awful enmity against God and his well- 
beloved Son, they never rested till they had brought 
him to the cross, and imbued their hands in his blood. 
This awful transaction consummated their iniquity, 
and brought down upon them the most tremendous 
judgments with which a guilty people has ever been 
visited. For heaven as well as earth was combined 
against them ; and when their iniquities came into re- 
membrance before God, it was a day of vengeance, sur- 
passed only by the terrors of the Deluge. And still, 
wherever we see the remains of this once flourishing 
nation, we see a people without a country, and, like 
Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities of the plain, suf- 
fering the vengeance of an offended, and a rejected 
and crucified Saviour. But in contemplating this 
melancholy subject, a question very naturally occurs 
to the mind — Are they to be for ever cast off? Or are 
the times of refreshing, which yet await the world, al- 
so to extend to them, that they also may be numbered 
amongst the trophies of Divine grace, and share in all 
the glory and happiness of the Millennium? Now, 



192 ON THE CALLING 

the text answers this important inquiry ; for it tells us 
that the blindness which has happened to Israel is to 
continue only till the fulness of the Gentiles be come 
in, and then all Israel is to be saved. Let us, therefore, 
from these words contemplate the calling of the Jews 
into the Christian Church. And in doing this, let us 
consider, I. The present state of the Jews. II. The 
certainty of their conversion to the Christian faith, 
and their restoration to their own land in the latter 
days. III. The happy consequences which will pro- 
ceed from it. 

I. The present state of the Jews. The text leads 
us to consider it, 

1. As a state of moral and spiritual ignorance. That 
it is spiritual, and not natural blindness, to which the 
language of the text refers, there cannot be a doubt. 
Indeed, the Apostle in another passage has set this 
point completely at rest, where he says — " Their minds 
were blinded ; for until this day remaineth the same 
vail" (allusion is here made to the vail which Moses put 
over his face when he came down from mount Sinai,) 
" untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament, 
which vail is done away in Christ. But even unto 
this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their 
heart." They loved not the truth ; and in their mad- 
ness and fury against Christ, opposed it to the utmost ; 
wherefore God gave them over to a reprobate mind. 
And this their situation the prophet Isaiah had long 
before foretold. So that, when the Apostle had vainly 
attempted at Rome to bring them to the knowledge 
of the truth, he exclaimed that — " in them was fulfilled 
the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith, hearing ye shall 
hear, and shall not understand ; and seeing ye shall 



OF THE JEWS. iyd 

see, and shall not perceive ; for this people's heart is 
waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing ; and 
their eyes they have closed, lest at any time they should 
see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and 
should understand with their heart, and should be 
converted, and I should heal them." Hence, under 
the influence of this state of mind, the ancient Jews 
either completely misunderstood or perverted the plain- 
est prophecies relating to the Saviour. And to this 
day their descendants still continue under its degrad- 
ing and destructive influence. For, with the same 
malignity and obstinacy with which the ancient Jews 
resisted the truth in the days of Christ, the modern 
Jews resist the accumulated evidence which we pos- 
sess of the truth of Christianity, by the fulfilment of 
many of its predictions, and the preservation of the 
system, notwithstanding all the attempts, both in an- 
cient and modern times, which have been made to de- 
stroy it. And what, but the most wilful and obstinate 
blindness, can account for this part of their character 7 
For they themselves are living witnesses to the truth 
of Christianity ; and were there no other fact in con- 
nexion with it, on which their minds could fix, one 
might have thought that this would have been enough 
to have convinced them of their folly and wickedness 
in continuing to reject Jesus as the long-promised 
Messiah. But the common adage has been awfully 
fulfilled in them, that " none are so deaf as those who 
will not hear ; nor so blind as those who will not see." 
As the prophet expresses it, "their eyes they have 
closed against the light ;" and because they would have 
it so, God has given them up to themselves to believe 
a lie, and reject the truth ; so that, notwithstanding all 

17 



194 ON THE CALLING 

the light of the Gospel which is shining on many of 
the nations, they still continue blind, sitting in the 
darkness of their unbelief, and far off from God. 

2. As a state of spiritual apathy. This is an- 
other view of their situation which is strongly ex- 
pressed by the language of the text. For it is not 
merely the understanding that is affected; the con- 
science and the heart have also fallen entirely under the 
same influence. Hence, under the personal ministry ot 
the Saviour, though he taught as never man taught, 
and clearly set before them their sins, and warned 
them of their doom, yet they either derided him, or 
heard him as if they heard him not. And this feature 
in their character has ever since, with but few excep- 
tions, constituted a prominent feature in the character 
of their descendants. Their conscience has been seared 
as with a hot iron, or has become hard as the adamant ; 
so that all the common means for impressing the mind 
usually completely fail in their case. If they hear the 
Gospel at all, they regard it but as an idle tale. For 
its mercies they manifest no desire ; and from the 
powers and wrath of an offended God they make no 
efforts to escape. Truly it may be said of them that 
they have no pity on themselves, and that they will 
not be induced to think on the evil of their ways. For 
nearly eighteen centuries they have been reaping, in 
their various generations, the fruits of their rejection 
of Christ ; and have seen how vain a thing it is for 
man to attempt to contend with God ; yet even now, 
with but few exceptions, they manifest no sense of re- 
pentance, nor inclination to return to God ; but are 
still, after their hard and impenitent heart, treasuring 
up unto themselves wrath against the day of wrath, 



OF THE JEWS. 195 

and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. 
The minds, indeed, seem to have been so completely- 
abandoned of God, that they manifest a feeling of com- 
plete indifference, or daep-rooted hostility against God 
and his Christ ; so that, like their fathers, they will 
not come to him that they may be saved. 

3. As a state of awful judgments from God. Theblind- 
ness to which we have already directed your attention, 
is itself to be regarded as an awful judgment from God 
upon them. But it is only a part of the long list of ca- 
lamities which have come upon them as outcasts from 
his favour. For as they rejected the Prince of life, and 
prayed that his blood might be upon them and upon 
their children, so God has granted them their request, 
and has visited them with calamities such as have befal- 
len no other nation on the face of the earth. In the days 
of their obedience to God and faithfulness in his covenant, 
he rejoiced over them to do them good, and to multiply 
them ; but ever since they sealed up their iniquity 
by their rejection of the Saviour, in conformity with 
the prediction of Moses he has rejoiced over them to 
destroy them, and to bring them to nought ; so that 
they have been banished from the soil of their ances- 
tors, and have been driven like vagabonds to and fro 
upon the face of the whole earth, and have become an 
astonishment, a proverb, and a by-word among all na- 
tions. Of all the people, indeed, who dwell on the face 
of the earth, none have been so universally despised 
and hated, and none more grievously oppressed and 
persecuted. Christian, Pagan, and Mahommedan na- 
tions, though agreeing almost about nothing, have 
nevertheless cordially united in the most sangui- 
nary measures of violence against them. There is no 



196 ON THE CALLING 

country, indeed, from which, at one period or another, 
they have not been expelled ; and even to this day 
they continue not only a distinct, but a persecuted 
people wherever we find them. And all this is to be 
regarded, during the long period which has passed 
over them in their outcast condition, as part of the 
blindness which has happened unto them. Whatever 
may be said of some sinners finding the way of trans- 
gression easy and pleasing, this cannot be affirmed of 
the Jews. For since God cast them off, their path 
has been in darkness ; and wherever they have fled, they 
have found themselves pursued by the frowns and judg- 
ments of an offended God. And still their calamities are 
not ended. But, blessed be God, we have the clearest 
evidence for believing that they will yet come to an 
end. For, heinous though their transgressions have 
been, yet " the blood of Jesus cleanseth from all sin ;" 
and whenever it is applied to their souls, it will purify 
them from their deepest stains. And that it will be 
applied, the declarations of Scripture place beyond all 
doubt ; for the blindness which has happened to them 
is to continue only till the fulness of the Gentiles be 
come in, and then all Israel is to be saved. 

Let us therefore consider, 

II. The certainty of their conversion to the Chris- 
tian faith, and restoration to their own land in the lat- 
ter days. In reference to many of the prophecies re- 
lating to the Jews, it may be remarked, that there are 
two distinct events which must be carefully kept in 
mind in order that we may rightly understand them. 
The former is the Babylonish captivity, and their 
return from it in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah : 
the latter is their general dispersion at the destruction 



OF THE JEWS. 197 

of Jerusalem, in consequence of their rejection of the 
Gospel, and their conversion to the Christian faith, 
and return to their own land in the latter days. In 
the study of the prophecies, also, which relate to these 
two events, it requires very often a nice degree of dis- 
crimination in order to ascertain with accuracy to 
which of them they refer. In the following brief out- 
line, however, which we shall give of them, we shall 
endeavour carefully to avoid all which seem even 
doubtful, and shall adduce only those which seem of 
certain application to the object which we have in 
view. 

Now, in searching the Scriptures on this point, we 
find, that as far back as the days of Moses, God seems 
to have communicated to them the fullest information 
on this subject. Thus Moses, under the guidance of 
the spirit of prophecy, clearly foretold their future de- 
fection from the Lord their God, and fully enumerat- 
ed the evils, which, in consequence of this, have come 
upon them. But, guided by the same influence, he 
tells them — " And it shall come to pass when all these 
things are come upon thee, and thou shalt call them 
to mind among all the nations whither the Lord thy 
God hath driven thee, and shalt return unto the Lord 
thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that 
I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with 
all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that then the 
Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and will have 
compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee 
from all the nations whither the Lord thy God hath 
scattered \hee. And if any of thine be driven out 
unto the utmost parts of heaven, from thence will the 
Lord thy God gather thee, and from thence will he 

17* 



198 ON THE CALLING 

fetch thee. And the Lord thy God will bring thee 
into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou 
shalt possess it ; and he will do thee good, and multi- 
ply thee above thy fathers, &c." Deut. xxx. 1-5. Now, 
in reference to this prophecy it may be remarked, 
that the dispersion which it describes is too extensive 
to admit of a fulfilment in the Babylonish captivity ; 
and there seems to be no other event to which it can 
refer but their present state and future call into the 
Christian Church. The prophet Isaiah, too, seems to 
have had the clearest intimation of this event. For, 
referring to New Testament times, he says, " In that 
day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand 
for an ensign of the people ; to it shall the Gentiles 
look, and his rest shall be glorious. And it shall come 
to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand 
again, the second time, to recover the remnant of his 
people which shall be left from Assyria, and from Egypt, 
and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and 
from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of 
the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations^ 
and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather 
together the dispersed of Judah from the four quarters 
of the earth." Is. xi. 10-12. The prophet Ezekiel also, in 
the 36th and following chapters of his prophecies, re- 
fers in the clearest manner to the same event ; whilst 
the prophet Zechariah is so explicit, that it is impossi- 
ble his meaning can be mistaken. " And I will pour," 
says God, " upon the house of David, and upon the 
inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of sup- 
plications ; and they shall look upon me whom they 
have pierced, and they shall mourn for him as one 
mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness 



OP THE JEWS. 199 

for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first-born." 
Zech. xii. 10. This prophecy, you perceive, points 
out not only the dispositions or frame of mind with 
which they will return to God, but the cause of this 
heartfelt distress, namely, the crucifixion and rejec- 
tion of Christ. For they are to look upon him whom 
they have pierced : thus confining its application en- 
tirely to New Testament times. To these Old Testa- 
ment prophecies may be added several references to 
the same subject which are found in the New Testa- 
ment ; and concerning all such allusions, as they were 
written long after the close of Old Testament pro- 
phecy, there can be no doubt of their proper application. 
The first of these references seems to be that of our 
Lord himself, when referring to the calamities which 
were to befall the Jews at, and subsequent to, the de- 
struction of Jerusalem. "And they" — that is, the 
Jews — " shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall 
be led away captive into all nations ; and Jeru- 
salem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the 
times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." Luke xxi. 24. The 
form of this declaration evidently leads us to conclude, 
that whenever the times of the Gentiles shall have been 
fulfilled, Jerusalem shall cease to be trodden down of 
the Gentiles, and the Jews shall be again restored to it. 
But by far the fullest and clearest revelation of God's 
purpose on this subject, is that which is contained in 
the chapter from which we have selected the text. 
And so full and distinct is this, that no candid mind 
can rise from the perusal of it without being convinced 
that the unbelief of the Jews will be removed, and 
that they will be again restored to the privileges of the 
Church, and become fellow-heirs with the Gentiles of 



200 ON THE CALLING 

the inheritance of the saints in light. The blindness 
which has befallen them is not to last for ever, but 
only till the fulness of the Gentiles be come in — that 
is, till the great mass of the Gentile nations shall be 
brought to embrace the Gospel ; and whenever this 
event shall have taken place, their blindness will be 
removed, and, with the bitterness of grief which a pa- 
rent feels for the death of his first-born, they will look 
upon him whom their fathers rejected and slew, and 
will come and put their trust under the shadow of his 
wings. The time when they will do this seems to be 
the time when they will return to their own land ; or, 
as the prophet Isaiah has expressed it, when God 
" shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall as- 
semble the outcasts of Israel, and shall gather together 
the dispersed of Judah from the four quarters of the 
earth ;" and when he will " say to the north give up, 
and to the south keep not back ; bring my sons from 
far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth." 
Thus, through the gracious influence of the Deliverer 
who has come out of Zion, shall ungodliness be turn- 
ed away from Jacob, and so all Israel shall be saved ; 
and then shall be fulfilled that striking prophecy of 
Isaiah — "and they," that is, the Gentiles, "shall bring 
all your brethren for an offering unto the Lord out of 
all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, 
and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy 
mountain Jerusalem, saith the Lord, as the children 
of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the 
house of the Lord." Is. lxvi. 20. Let us now con- 
template, 

III. The happy consequences which will proceed 
from it. 



OF THE JEWS. 201 

1. An objection which has been long urged against 
Christianity will be entirely removed. Infidels of eve- 
ry age have never failed to avail themselves of the in- 
fidelity of the Jews in order that they might gain some- 
thing like support to their unholy cause ; and on 
some weak minds it is possible that this objection may 
have had an unfavourable influence. But weak they 
must be who do not see through this sophistry ; for 
their infidelity, in place of being an objection against 
the truth of Christianity, when fairly considered can 
appear in no other light than as a strong corrobora- 
tive testimony to it. For, though it was of the deep- 
est malignity, and led them to do every thing against 
Christ and his followers which malice could suggest 
and power could execute, yet they could not hinder 
the triumphs of the cross, nor gainsay the statements of 
the Apostles. Yea, even when they were in the very 
height of their madness and impiety against Christ, as 
they saw him expire on the cross, it had no other ef- 
fect on the Roman centurion and his band of soldiers, 
when " they saw the earthquake, and those things that 
were done," than to lead them to be greatly afraid, and 
openly at the very foot of the cross to declare — " truly 
this was the Son of God." The Apostles also no sooner 
began to preach Christ to the assembled multitudes in 
Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, than thousands of 
them were pricked in their heart, and led to believe in 
him. The same thing, too, happened frequently after- 
wards, notwithstanding all the malice, and vigilance, 
and power of the rulers. The great body of the peo- 
ple, however, doubtless continued impenitent, and add- 
ed to the sin of the crucifixion of the Lord of glory the 
additional crime of forbidding the Apostles to preach 



202 ON THE CALLING 

to the Gentiles, that they might be saved ; till at last 
they brought down upon them the long restrained, 
but terrible manifestations of the wrath of an offended 
God, and an insulted and rejected Saviour. Ever 
since that awful event their descendants have been 
scattered over the face of the earth ; and, though un- 
believers, are yet living witnesses to the truth of the 
Gospel. But, granting to the infidel all the aid which 
he can derive from their infidelity to his miserable 
cause, when the blindness which has happened to them 
shall have been removed, and they shall have been 
added to the Christian Church, like his many other 
refuges of lies, this also shall be swept away, and 
leave him as a monster among the nations, and 
hastening to swift and irremediable destruction. The 
evidence, then, in favour of the truth of Christianity 
will appear so strong and clear, that not a shadow of 
objection will remain to be brought against it, but that 
which the enmity of the heart that refuses to be recon- 
ciled to God may suggest ; and this cannot but be re- 
garded in the light of a glorious triumph. 

2. It will have a powerful effect in elevating the 
tone of piety in the Gentile Churches. That the in- 
gathering of the Jews is to have this happy effect, there 
cannot be a doubt ; for it is expressly stated that it is 
to be " as life from the dead." The event itself will 
be such a proof of the efficacy of Divine grace, and of 
the faithfulness, power, glory, and presence of Christ 
in his Church — and the various circumstances with 
which it will be accompanied will be of so marked 
and glorious a character, that the attention of all will 
be arrested by them ; so that a fresh and universal 
stimulus will thereby be given to increasing devoted^ 



OP THE JEWS. 203 

ness and delight in the service of Christ* The Jews 
themselves, also, will not only have become living 
examples of the efficacy of his grace ; they will strive 
to outstrip the Gentile converts in their knowledge 
and zeal for his glory. Like the great Apostle of the 
Gentiles, wherever they may be at the time, they will 
begin to preach the faith which they formerly sought 
to destroy. And that God designs to make great use of 
them in the completion of the triumphs of the Gospel 
upon the earth, seems very evident from various pas- 
sages in the sacred Scriptures. Thus, says he by the 
prophet Isaiah — " I will set a sign among them, and I 
will send those that escape of them unto the nations, 
to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tu- 
bal and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard 
my fame, neither have seen my glory ; and they shall 
declare my glory among the Gentiles." Is. lxvi. 19. 
" And the remnant of Jacob," says the prophet Micah 
also, " shall be in the midst of many people as a dew 
from the Lord, as the showers upon the grass, that tar- 
rieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men." 
Mic. v. 7. The very circumstance, too, of their being 
scattered over the face of the earth, will give them ma- 
ny peculiar advantages in assisting the Gentile Church- 
es in completing the conquest of the world to Christ. 
And when their present degraded character shall be 
changed into that of the Missionaries of the cross ; and 
when they, full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, shall 
come up to the help of the Lord against the last strug- 
gles of the God of this world to retain his dominion 
over the minds of men, and shall preach Christ and him 
crucified — no longer a stumbling block to them, but 
the wisdom of God, and the power of God to salvation 



204 ON THE CALLING 

— we may rest assured that the confidence of all the 
followers of Christ will be greatly invigorated ; their 
love to him and to one another will be greatly increas- 
ed ; their songs of salvation will abound ; and each in 
exalted joy and thanksgiving will be ready to say, 
" Behold what God hath wrought." 

3. It will be the fulfilment of the last part of pro- 
phecy relating to the introduction of the Millennium. 
"When a traveller, after a long and fatiguing journey, 
comes to obtain a near -and full view of the place 
whither he is going, every step that he afterwards 
takes seems perceptibly to tell in lessening the dis- 
tance in his view. And just so will it be with the 
Church, when the descendants of Abraham, the friend 
of God, shall be numbered among the followers of the 
Lamb. For though there may be some in many lands 
who may even then be ignorant, and indifferent about 
the grace of God, yet when " all Israel" shall be num- 
bered amongst the saved, we know that "the fulness 
of the Gentiles" shall have come in, and that the 
Church will then have a full view of the peace, the 
purity, and the happiness of the Millennium. The 
effusions of the Spirit will then be very great — Anti- 
christ shall have been completely destroyed— and the 
various errors which have corrupted and defaced the 
beauty of the Church shall then have been entirely 
removed. And the probability is, that between the con- 
version of the Jews and the universal triumphs of the 
Gospel, the period will be very short ; whilst the in- 
terval will be filled up with so many glorious displays 
of Divine grace, that every heart will be filled with 
rapture ; and in the midst of this universal joy, soon 
will glad voices from east to west, and from north to 



OP THE JEWS. 205 

south be heard, proclaiming — " the kingdoms of this 
world have become the kingdoms of our God and of 
his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever." 
And then, throughout the long period of a thousand 
years, shall Satan no more be permitted to deceive the 
nations; and then, in all lands, shall be more than 
realized the many happy scenes which we have en- 
deavoured to describe to you as constituting the glory 
and felicity of the Millennial age. 

In closing this subject, permit me, 

1. To exhort you to take the deepest interest in the 
conversion of the Jews. Preserved as they have been 
— doubtless by special Divine interposition — from be- 
ing blended with the people amongst whom they have 
been scattered, wherever we behold them we should 
regard them as yet destined to be amongst the bright- 
est triumphs of the Redeemer. In place of contem- 
plating them with indifference, and continuing to follow 
them with scorn and contempt, it is indeed high time 
for Christian nations to regard them with Christian 
piety, and endeavour to convince them of their errors, 
and win them to Christ. For " if the fall of them be 
the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them 
the riches of the Gentiles, how much more their ful- 
ness." Should not this circumstance, therefore, lead 
us to long for their conversion, and to endeavour in the 
use of all the appointed means, and looking for the bles- 
sing of God to accompany them, to bring it about. 
And though their infidelity has been of long continu- 
ance and of a very aggravated character, yet Divine 
grace can easily remove it. With the view, also, of 
encouraging us in the use of means for their conver- 
sion, God has declared, in the most express terms, that 

18 



206 ON THE CALLING 

he will remove it, and again graft them into his Church. 
Whilst we therefore think of, and pray for, those who 
are sitting in the darkness of heathenism, let us not be 
unmindful of the outcasts of Israel. The time to fa- 
vour them will assuredly come, and may not be far 
distant, when their blindness will be taken away, and 
a heart be given to them to know the Lord. In has- 
tening on, also, the conversion of the Jews, we are only 
thereby approaching nearer and nearer the universal 
conversion of the Lord to Christ. For the latter can 
never take place without the former ; and as it is first 
in the order of time, we should certainly not let it be 
last in order of our operations or prayers. Like Paul, 
therefore, let us all say—" Brethren, my heart's de- 
sire, and prayer to God for Israel is, that they may be 
saved." And may God soon grant them " repentance 
to the acknowledging of the truth, that they may re- 
cover themselves out of the snare of the Devil, who 
have been taken captive by him at his will." 

2. Let the impenitent be exhorted impartially to 
consider the case of the Jews. In reviewing their 
early history, we find that there was no nation on the 
face of the earth which was so exalted in the enjoy- 
ment of religious privileges, or so richly blessed with 
the bounties of Providence. But how changed, alas ! 
is their situation now ! Visited by the most tremen- 
dous judgments with which a guilty people have 
ever been afflicted, and driven at last from the land of 
their fathers, they continue to this day the monu- 
ments of the awful displeasure of God ; and proclaim 
to the world what a fearful thing it is to despise 
Christ and reject his Gospel. Great, too, as their ca- 
lamities have been in this world, they are nothing 



OP THE JEWS. 207 

when contrasted with the suffering of the wrath of 
God and the Lamb in the world to come ; for there 
it is wrath unmixed with mercy, and it is never to 
come to an end. Be entreated, then, my fellow dying 
sinners, to take warning by them, and no longer har- 
den your hearts against Christ. For their case affect- 
ingly tells all to whom the Gospel is sent, that in re- 
jecting it we are thereby turning the infinite mercy 
of the Saviour into infinite wrath ; and in losing an 
interest in his love, are only falling into the un- 
quenchable flames which are " prepared for the Devil 
and his angels." O be not ye, therefore, any longer 
slow of heart to believe the things that are spoken to 
you concerning Jesus of Nazareth. " For if the word 
spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgres- 
sion and disobedience received a just recompense of 
reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great 
.salvation ?" And, as you know not what a day may 
~bring forth, hasten, O hasten to the Saviour now> lest 
his wrath be kindled against you, and you perish in 
an hour when ye think not of it. 



208 COMMENCEMENT AND DURATION 



DISCOURSE XII. 

ON THE TIME OF THE COMMENCEMENT, AND THE! 
DURATION OF THE MILLENNIUM. 

Rev. xx. 1 — 3. And I saw an angel come down from heaven, hav- 
ing the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 
And he laid hold on the dragon, that old Serpent-, which is the Devil, 
and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,, and cast him into the 
bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he 
should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should 
be fulfilled. 

In our preceding discourses on the subject of the 
Millennium, we have directed your attention to all its 
prominent features — have pointed out the vast change 
which is to take place in the structure of society, in the 
sentiments and character of mankind, and in the in- 
tercourse of nations — and have endeavoured to esta- 
blish the certainty of two great events which are still 
future ; namely, " The destruction of Antichrist, and 
the calling of the Jews into the Christian Church ;" 
events which are most intimately connected with the 
introduction of the Millennium — and, as a concluding 
discourse to the whole, we come on the present oc- 
casion to consider the period of its commencement 
and the extent of its duration. 

Now, in reference to this part of the subject, we re- 
mark, that a moment's reflection is enough to convince 



OP THE MILLENNIUM. 



209 



us that there can be no Millennium so long as Satan 
is permitted to exercise his influence on mankind. 
For no sooner would one system of iniquity be over- 
thrown, and men be rescued from it, than he would 
devise another, and seek thereby to deceive and ruin 
the soul. For his enmity to God and the Saviour is 
such as can never be subdued, and whilst he has an 
opportunity of manifesting it he will never cease ,to 
oppose the progress of the Gospel and the salvation 
of man. In order, therefore, that the Gospel may have 
free course, and the Spirit of God an unrestrained in- 
fluence over the minds of men, it is absolutely neces- 
sary that Satan should be deprived of his influence 
over them, and from regaining it when lost. And 
that the purposes of God are such as to lead us to an- 
ticipate that this will be the case, the language of the 
text furnishes us with the most satisfactory evidence ; 
and whenever this description shall have been fulfilled, 
the purity, peace, and happiness of the Millennium 
will doubtless universally prevail. In reference to 
prophecy, however, it may be remarked that, with but 
very few exceptions, there is no circumstance in con- 
nection with it which is so indefinitely pointed out as 
the exact time of its fulfilment. The future, indeed, 
is known only to God, except in so far as he has been 
pleased to lift up the vail which conceals it from oilr 
view ; and, excepting the cases in which he has done 
so, it becomes us never to lose sight of the declaration 
of our Lord to his disciples — " It is not for you to 
know the times or the seasons which the Father hath 
put in his own power." Secret things, indeed, belong 
unto the Lord our God, but unto us and our children 
those things only which are revealed. But whilst we 

18* 



210 COMMENCEMENT AND DURATION 

would inculcate this as the state of mind necessary to 
the proper study of prophecy, yet it nevertheless be- 
comes us to improve to the utmost whatever notices 
God has been pleased to give us on this subject in the 
revelation of his will : and though we may not be 
able even with these to point out the day or the year 
in which this event will assuredly take place, yet 
these notices, we apprehend, are sufficiently explicit to 
enable us to come very near what is likely to be the 
truth. In attempting, therefore, to ascertain the period 
in question, it is necessary that we should present 
these before you. 

In reference to this point, therefore, let it be remark- 
ed, that we have a definite measure of time given us 
during which Antichrist is to hold his influence over 
the minds of men, and that at the close of this period 
of time the kingdom of Christ is represented as being 
universally established in all its power and glory. 
Thus it is stated, that " the holy city shall be trodden 
under foot forty and two months." " The witnesses 
of Jesus shall prophecy a thousand two hundred and 
threescore days, clothed in sackcloth." Rev. xi. 3. 
" The woman who brought forth the man child is to 
be cherished in the wilderness for a time, and times, 
and half a time, from the face of the Serpent." Rev. xii. 
14. " And to the Beast with seven heads and ten 
horns, which had a mouth speaking great things, 
and blasphemies, power is given to continue forty 
and two months." Rev. xiii. 1 — 5. Now, in reference 
to these different descriptions of time, it may be re- 
marked that there is a perfect agreement. For " the 
time, and times, and half a time," correspond with 
three years and a half, which are exactly equal to 



OF THE MILLENNIUM. 211 

" forty and two months ;" which again, as they are 
lunar months of thirty days each, are exactly equal to 
twelve hundred and sixty days. By the term " days," 
however, it is universally admitted that we are to 
understand years, this being a mode of stating time 
peculiar to the prophets ; and hence a day in their 
phraseology is equal to a year in the common accep- 
tation of the term. By these twelve hundred and 
sixty days we are then to understand so many 
years, during which the kingdom of Antichrist is to 
exist, and exert its destructive sway over the souls of 
men. During the same period, too, we observe that the 
pure Church of Christ, which is here described as " the 
holy city, and the woman who brought forth the man 
child," is represented as being in a harassed, distressed, 
and desolate condition : and the faithful ministers of 
the Gospel as labouring under many discouragements, 
and amid great opposition. At the conclusion of this 
period, however, the whole scene is represented as 
changing ; for it is then that " the Beast is to be ta- 
ken, and the false prophet that wrought miracles be- 
fore him. and are to be cast alive into a lake of fire 
burning with brimstone." And no sooner is this re- 
presented as being done, than " an angel, having the 
key of the bottomless pit, and a great chain in his 
hand, descends, and lays hold of the old Serpent, 
which is the Devil, and Satan, and binds him, and 
casts him into the bottomless pit, and shuts him up, 
and sets a seal upon him, that he may no more go 
out to deceive the nations for a thousand years ;" and 
whenever this is done, then, and only then, is the 
commencement of the Millennium. 

But, in order that we may know when we may ex- 
pect all this to happen, it is absolutely necessary that 



212 COMMENCEMENT AND DURATION 

we should ascertain with accuracy the date of the 
rise of Antichrist — that is, the commencement of his 
reign. As he came not into existence, however, all 
at once, nor on a sudden, it is difficult to do this with 
a satisfactory measure of precision. As the subject is 
confessedly one of great interest, it is well worthy, 
however, of a patient and careful investigation. Now, 
in searching the records of Ecclesiastical history in 
order to ascertain this point, we learn that the Bishop 
of Rome had, as early as the third century, greatly 
departed from the purity of the faith, and had begun 
to assume a superior degree of importance among the 
Christian Churches. For a long period, however, he 
was keenly opposed in all his attempts and artifices 
to gain the title, and to exert the power, of " Univer- 
sal Bishop" of the phurch, by the Bishop of Constanti- 
nople, who claimed this title as his peculiar prerogative. 
At the beginning, however, of the seventh century, 
it is related of Boniface III. that he induced Phocas, 
who was then Roman emperor, and one of the most 
despicable tyrants who ever swayed a sceptre, and 
who waded to the imperial throne through the blood 
of the emperor Mauritius, to take from the Bishop of 
Constantinople, and confer upon the Roman pontiff the 
title to which we have here referred. This event is said 
to have taken place in the six hundredth and sixth 
year of the Christian era. Now, it was then that 
the Bishop of Rome began to exercise that lordly 
power over the whole Church which has ever since 
constituted one of the most prominent features of 
the great Antichrist. If we then , take this period as 
the date of his commencement, and add to it the 
twelve hundred and sixty years which the Scriptures 



OF THE MILLENNIUM. 213 

assign as the period of his duration, it will bring the 
close of his dominion to happen in A. D. 1866, 
about thirty-one years hence ; after which, admitting 
this calculation to be correct, the prophecy of the text 
should be fulfilled and the Millennium commence. 
And it is but right in me to state, that a considerable 
number of the most eminent writers on Christian pro- 
phecy are of this opinion. But when we come to take 
a just view of the present state of the Church and of 
the world, and form an accurate estimate of what yet 
remains to be done in the way of preaching the Gos- 
pel and circulating the Scriptures in heathen coun- 
tries, and of the vast changes which must take place 
in both in order to prepare them for the Millennium, 
we shall feel ourselves constrained, I fear, however 
reluctantly, to hesitate about placing implicit reliance 
on this calculation. And so far as my own views are 
concerned, I am disposed to place more confidence on 
another mode of calculation, which I shall now state 
to you. 

Though the exaltation of the Bishop of Rome to the 
title and jurisdiction of the universal Bishop of the 
Church may be justly considered to have conferred on 
him the highest ecclesiastical authority that he ever 
possessed, and to have led the way to all his subse- 
quent usurpations and tyranny, yet it was not till A. 
D. 754 or '55 that he was raised to the rank of a tem- 
poral prince. The way, also, in which he obtained 
this fresh accession to his dignity is not unworthy of 
notice. Pepin, who was mayor of the palace to 
Childeric III. king of France, having formed the am- 
bitious and iniquitous design of dethroning his master 
and sovereign, and stepping into his place, applied to 



214 COMMENCEMENT AND DURATION 

the Pope for his sanction and assistance in carrying it 
into execution. As the Pope felt the need of some 
farther assistance than he then possessed in order to 
reach the object of his highest ambition ; and as he 
thought this a favourable opportunity of securing it, 
in despite of all regard either to justice or religion ; he 
very readily acquiesced in the designs of this usurper 
— dissolved the obligation of the oath of fidelity and 
allegiance which Pepin had sworn to Childeric, and 
anointed and crowned him king ; and it was in con- 
sequence of this valuable piece of service which he 
performed for him that Pepin raised him to a place 
among the kings of the earth. As he had began, how- 
ever, between A. D. 720 and 730 to thunder out his 
anathemas against the rulers of the earth, the various 
powers of the system were then doubtless in operation ; 
and it is from this date that we are disposed to calcu- 
late the commencement of his reign. Now, if we add 
the twelve hundred and sixty years to this date, it will 
bring the conclusion of his existence somewhere about 
A. D. ] 980. And if we look at the amazing change 
which is to take place, in the progress of knowledge, 
and the views and characters of mankind, before the 
Millennium can exist, we apprehend that the period 
between this and then is short enough, even admitting 
the superior effusions of the Holy Spirit in order to 
effect it. If, then, we state, as the amount of the in- 
formation which we can obtain on this point from the 
word of God, that Antichrist is likely to be completely 
destroyed about one hundred and forty-five years 
hence, I am led to think, after a careful consideration 
of the subject, that this calculation will be found to be 
about right. And if we allow the twenty years fol- 



OP THE MILLENNIUM. 215 

lowing to be occupied in the restoration of the Jews to 
the Church and to their own land, and in the conver- 
sion of those parts of the heathen world which may 
then remain strangers to the Gospel, this will bring us 
down to the seven thousandth year of the world, which 
I am disposed to regard as the period allotted by God 
for the Millennium. Between this and then, how- 
ever, the history of the world and the Church is like- 
ly, we apprehend, to exhibit a succession of events 
more glorious in themselves, and happy in their con- 
sequences, than have yet taken place since the Saviour 
left the earth and ascended his throne in the heavens. 
The days of apathy and lukewarmness among the 
genuine disciples of Christ are rapidly coming to an 
end ; and between this and the Millennial age they 
will feel themselves impelled, both by the dispensa- 
tions of Providence and the leadings of the Spirit of 
God, to greater activity and zeal than they have ever 
yet manifested ; and during a great portion of the in- 
tervening time, the path of the Church will doubtless 
be like that of the sun, shining brighter and brighter, 
till it reach the noontide splendour of the cloudless days 
of the Millennium. 

In addition to the time of its commencement, we 
propose to consider, 

II. The period of its duration. On this part of the 
subject we can obtain no definite information from the 
Old Testament ; for though it is referred to, yet there 
are no definite terms used in connexion with it which 
can enable us to form any idea of the extent of its du- 
ration. Thus, when the prophet Isaiah refers to it 
in connexion with the restoration of Jerusalem, his 
language is — " whereas thou hast been forsaken, and 



216 COMMENCEMENT AND DURATION 

hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make 
thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations." 
In this passage, the word " eternal " is evidently sy- 
nonymous with " many generations," which mean on- 
ly a long period, the duration of which, from this 
phraseology, cannot be exactly ascertained. But, leav- 
ing the Old Testament, as not designed to afford us 
any light on this point, let us attend to the declara- 
tions of the New. Now, in attending to these, we find 
that the period of a thousand years is repeatedly as- 
signed as the extent of this happy and glorious state of 
the Church. This, we perceive, is the case in the 
text and following verses. But here a question has 
arisen, which, like almost every thing else, has given 
rise to a diversity of opinions ; namely : are these 
years to be computed as prophetical years — that is, 
every day standing for a thousand years ;*or are they 
to be understood according to the common acceptation 
of the term ? If they are to be understood according 
to the former opinion, the Millennium will exist 
through no less a period than three hundred and six- 
ty-five thousand years. But to this mode of calculation 
many serious and weighty objections may easily be stat- 
ed. The period itself, it may be remarked, is so vast, that 
we cannot form a definite idea of it. It does not seem 
to harmonize with the other parts of the Divine eco- 
nomy concerning our world, so far as it is explained to 
us. It does not seem to agree with the feelings which 
the study and belief of the sacred Scriptures naturally 
call forth in our minds, as it puts the resurrection and 
the judgment at too great a distance. And there does 
not seem to be a passage, either in the Old Testament 
pr New, in which the term " year" can be proved to 



OP THE MILLENNIUM. 217 

mean any thing else than the period which is occupied 
in the earth's performing a revolution in its orbit, or 
circuit round the sun. For these, and other reasons 
which might be stated, we are therefore disposed to 
regard this opinion as incorrect, and unworthy of se- 
rious notice ; and to believe that the term " a thousand 
years" is to be understood in its literal and common 
acceptation. As the progress of the Church, however, 
towards the Millennium will doubtless be gradual, and 
its actual commencement probably so imperceptible 
that it will be difficult even for those who may have 
the happiness to see and enjoy it precisely to fix up- 
on the day, or the month, or the year when it began, 
so will also be its close. And, come when it may, we 
may rest assured that not a day of this long-promised 
happiness will be wanting to the Church ; for faithful 
is he who has promised it, and he will perform all his 
pleasure. And what a revenue of glory will then re- 
dound to the wisdom of the Father, the love of the Son, 
and the grace of the Holy Spirit, for having devised 
and consummated the plan of redemption ! And how 
vast beyond all calculation will be the number of the 
saved, when, throughout a thousand years of no- 
thing but peace and good-will amongst men, "the 
knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth as the 
waters do the channel of the sea ; and the Spirit shall 
be poured out as floods on the dry ground." How 
great, also, will be the devotedness of the soul to God 
— how pure its joys — and how easy its transition from 
earth to heaven ; for the eminent degree of holiness which 
it will then attain, will communicate to it such an emi- 
nent degree of meetness for heaven as will raise it effect- 
ually above the fears of death, and impart to it a longing 

19 



218 COMMENCEMENT AND DURATION 

for the unveiled glory and perfect blessedness of the pre- 
sence of God and the Lamb. And who is there, when 
reflecting on these things, that does not rejoice as he 
looks forward to the future history of the Church 
and the world, and is not ready to pour out the full 
tide of his desires and aspirations, and say — " come, 
Lord Jesus, yea, come quickly, and thus reign from 
sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth, 
that all nations may be blessed in thee, and all in their 
songs of praise proclaim thee blessed !" 

In closing these discourses, therefore, on this sub- 
limely interesting subject, permit me, my dear bre- 
thren, 

1. To exhort you to entertain a firm belief of the 
Millennium. For, however true the remark may be, 
when applied to some things, that they are merely 
visionary, and too good to be true, it cannot apply to 
this ; for we have the testimony of Him who cannot 
lie, and who bringeth to pass all things according to 
the council of his own will, that, for a thousand years, 
Satan shall not be permitted to deceive the nations, 
and that all the kingdoms of this world shall continue 
throughout that period the kingdoms of our God and 
of his Christ. Whatever doubt may therefore have 
arisen in your minds as to the accuracy of any of the 
illustrations of it which we have presented to you, we 
entreat you to entertain no doubt of the thing itself. 
For the work is not man's, but God's ; and to doubt it, 
is to call in question either his veracity, or power, or 
the efficacy of the blood of Christ, or of the work 
of the Holy Spirit. And when we connect the work, 
great as it is, with the agency which is engaged to 
bring it to pass, who can . reasonably doubt its practi- 



OP THE MILLENNIUM. 219 

cability ? For is there, or can there be, any thing too 
hard for the Lord? The conversion of a single soul 
settles, beyond the possibility of a doubt, the practica- 
bility of the conversion of a multitude. For Divine 
agency is just as necessary in the one case as it is in 
the other ; and to Omnipotence there is nothing great 
or small. When we, therefore, look at the vastness of 
the undertaking of converting the world to Christ 
through the preaching of the Gospel, let not unbelief 
lead us to doubt it ; for it is not by human might, nor 
power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts, that 
it will be accomplished. And when you look at the 
opposing difficulties in the way, in the language of the 
prophet you may well say — " who art thou, O great 
mountain ? Before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a 
plain ; and he shall bring forth the head-stone thereof 
with shoutings, crying, grace, grace unto it !" Yes, 
before the agency of the Spirit every thing will give 
way; and when the .hearts of all shall have felt his 
influence, their tongues will not be silent in the praise 
of him who hath redeemed them to God by his blood. 
Let us all, therefore, endeavour to regard the Miller 
nium just as much in the light of a certainty as if it 
had already taken place ; for faithful is he who hath 
promised it, who also will bring it to pass. 

2. Never forget that you have some important part 
of the exertions necessary to introduce it allotted to 
you. As the Millennial glory and happiness of the 
Church are nothing but the universal diffusion of the 
Gospel, and the belief and practice of it in spirit and 
in truth ; and as the instrumentality of the people of 
God is to be used in connexion with the agency of the 
Spirit in accomplishing this, so tfiere is not one of the 



220 



COMMENCEMENT AND DURATION 



household of faith who may not, and who should not, 
co-operate in bringing it about. And it is a remark 
that never should be lost sight of, that example is al- 
ways more powerful than precept. Now, in connex- 
ion with the Millennium, and as having a most im- 
portant bearing on its introduction, every believer in 
Jesus should endeavour to attain as great a measure 
of conformity to him, and to manifest on all occasions 
as much of the spirit of the Gospel as possible. And 
of all the ways in which it may be done, this will al- 
ways be found the most effectual for shutting the 
mouths of gainsayers, and for leading them to be fol- 
lowers of us as we are of Christ. Another happy ef- 
fect which it will have, will be, that it will elevate the 
tone of piety in all our brethren around us. For, " as 
iron sharpeneth iron, so does the face of a man his 
friend ;" and thus it will help on the Church to the 
eminent degree of holiness, devotedness, and happi- 
ness, for which it will be distinguished during the Mil- 
lennial age. Constantly seek, then, my beloved bre- 
thren, the attainment of an eminent degree of piety. 
In place of resting satisfied with present attainments, 
forget them, and reach forth to those that are still be- 
fore, and endeavour to obtain a glimpse of the glory 
and happiness of that delightful age. Take, also, the 
deepest interest in every thing connected with the 
prosperity of the Church, and the advancement of 
pure and undefiled religion over the world; for on 
you, as well as others, devolves the important and de- 
lightful duty of sending the Gospel even to the ends 
of the earth. And just in proportion as this duty is 
faithfully regarded by every individual member of the 
Church, so will the kingdom of our Lord be advanced, 






OP THE MILLENNIUM. 221 



and the latter day glory of the world be brought 
near. 

And to the youth around me, who may be prepar- 
ing to occupy important spheres either in the world or 
in the Church, permit me, in connexion with this 
subject, to say — On you, my young friends, will soon 
devolve an important share in the exertions which 
are necessary to carry on the Church to her Millen- 
nial glory. Be entreated, then, early to begin to think 
about it, and to cultivate a spirit ■ of -elevated and ac- 
tive piety, and of entire consecration of all you are, 
and have, to the cause of the Redeemer and the best 
interests of man. The future dispensations of Provi- 
dence, and the Spirit of God, will not suffer you, we 
feel persuaded, if you have days to live, to be so indo- 
lent and indifferent in the cause of Christ as your fa- 
thers have been. Make up your minds, therefore, in a 
humble dependence on Divine aid, to a life of vigo- 
rous exertion in the cause of Christ. And if after 
mature deliberation, and many prayers to God for di- 
rection and qualifying grace, you are led to consecrate 
yourselves to his service, either among the Churches 
at home or among the heathen abroad, you may re- 
joice in your choice, for it is the most noble which 
any mind can make ; and in the prosecution of it, you 
will find no reason to envy either conquerors their 
fame, or kings their thrones ; for your record will be 
on high, and your crown will be an imperishable one, 
to be worn for ever in the palace of God above. So 
far, therefore, as you are concerned, yours be the 
glory in future life to teach the ignorant the way to 
everlasting life — to pour the balm of heavenly conso- 
lation into the afflicted soul — to alleviate the sorrows 

19* 



222 COMMENCEMENT AND DURATION 

of the wretched — and to carry with you to heaven as 
many immortal souls as you can possibly rescue from 
the misery of guilt and the slavery of sin. And so 
far as opportunities of extensive and honourable use- 
fulness are concerned, the world has never hitherto 
presented so many as are opening on the present age. 
From every quarter, indeed, of the heathen world, the 
supplicating cry, borne on the wings of heaven across 
the billows of the deep, may be heard — " Come over, 
and help us." It is the supplication of at least six 
hundred millions of our fellow-men, sunk in all the 
wretchedness of heathenism here, and exposed to all 
the woes of eternal destruction hereafter. And shall it 
be— can it be disregarded 1 Love to the Saviour who 
has redeemed us, as well as compassion for our bre- 
thren in distress, answer — No ; it cannot — it shall not 
be. But it is to the youth that the Churches must look 
to carry this reply into execution. And may God, in 
mercy to the heathen, dispose many a heart among 
the youth of this happy land to make the necessary 
sacrifices in the way of going far hence to the Gen- 
tiles, and richly endow them with the gifts of his holy 
spirit, that they may turn many from darkness to 
light, and from the power of Satan to God. 

But there is another class of my audience whose 
services are so important, in connexion with the cause 
of Christ, that it must plead my apology for particu- 
larly addressing them on this subject. And here, I 
remark, that I refer to Christian parents. The duties 
binding on religious parents have been at all times of 
the most momentous character ; but, without any ten- 
dency to exaggeration, it may be stated, that at no 
previous period has their faithful discharge been of 



OF THE MILLENNIUM. 223 

equal importance for securing the best interests of men 
as it is at the present day. If ever it was necessary, 
therefore, for parents to lay these duties to heart, and 
to endeavour faithfully and successfully to perform 
them, it is so especially now ; for the period is rapidly 
approaching, when, amidst the fearful troubles which 
are coming on the nations, the genuine disciples of 
Christ alone will be safe ; and when the false glare 
which has been thrown around the vanities of this 
perishing world shall be removed, and every thing 
will appear in its true light, and be estimated as it 
bears on the soul and eternity. The calls, also, for as- 
sistance and co-operation with God in extending the 
kingdom of Christ, are already exceedingly great, and 
will every year increase till the earth shall be filled 
with the knowledge of the Lord. Be entreated, then, 
to endeavour to prepare your children for occupying 
a conspicuous place in the future exertions of the 
Church. And for this purpose study to prevent them 
from forming erroneous views of this world — its pur- 
suits, its wealth, its honours, and its pleasures ; and 
endeavour to impress their minds with just views of 
the vast importance of personal piety — to embue them 
with an eminent measure of the spirit of the Gospel ; 
and to lead them, above all things, to seek their ho- 
nour and glory, both here and hereafter, in winning 
souls to Christ. And what an honour will it be to be 
the instruments of thus rearing those, whose exer- 
tions may have an important influence in intro- 
ducing the glory of the latter days ! For though your 
eyes may not see this on earth, yet the eyes of your 
children or grand children are likely to see at least its 
beginning. Let it be your concern, therefore, to en- 
deavour to train them up for it, by early instilling into 



224 COMMENCEMENT, ETC. 

their minds correct views of it, and by leading them 
to look forward to it with delight, and to labour and to 
pray for its introduction. 

And now, in closing this interesting, and on many 
accounts delightful subject, let it have the happy 
eifect on us all of leading us with greater earnestness 
to seek after the glory and happiness of heaven ; and 
there, though we may not be allowed to see the Millen- 
nium on earth, yet, amidst the ecstasy of its blessed- 
ness, we shall become fully acquainted with the 
gradual advancement of the Church towards it — with 
its purity and happiness whilst it lasts ; and for inter- 
minable ages after it is past, yea, after the earth itself 
shall have been burnt up, we shall exult in the enjoy- 
ment of felicity, such as was never tasted here-— that 
shall also be without intermission — and that shall 
know no end. May God, in his rich mercy, prepare 
us all for it j and to his name be all the praise. 



THE END. 



• 



ROBERT CARTER, 

112 CANAL STREET, NEW-YORK, 

Has lately published the following Works: 

SYMINGTON ON THE ATONEMENT AND IN. 
TERCESSION OF JESUS CHRIST. 400 pp. 12roo. 

OUR PROTESTANT FOREFATHERS. By W. S. 

Gilly, Prebendary of Durham, from the Twelth London 
Edition. 

MODERN ACCOMPLISHMENTS, OR THE 
MARCH OF INTELLECT, By Miss Catharine Sin- 
clair, 350 pp. 12mo. "This work is written by Miss Sin- 
clair, the accomplished daughter of the celebrated Sir 
John Sinclair, and was revised by that great and good 
man, who was the ornament of Scotland. It exhibits one 
of the loftiest triumphs of an accomplished, lovely female 
mind. It is impossible to say whether we may admire 
most her elegance, taste, fashion, or her noble and en- 
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to make the real scenes of a religious life acceptable to 
youthful readers, and to lead them away from the mere 
earthliness of the mere fiction, and the worldly novel, to 
what is pure, lovely, real, and eternal. 

W. C. B." 

R. C. is also Agent for the Presbyterian Tracts, orders 
for which are thankfully received and promptly attended to. 



Ne w- Vork: 

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